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Knees high, ladies! China marks 60 years of Communist rule with a mighty show of its goose-stepping female militia By Mail Foreign Service Last updated at 10:30 AM on 02nd October 2009 Comments (8) Add to My Stories China celebrated its wealth and rising might with a show of goose-stepping troops, gaudy floats and nuclear-capable missiles in Beijing today, 60 years after Mao Zedong proclaimed its embrace of communism. Tiananmen Square became a high-tech stage to celebrate the birth of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, with the Communist Party leadership and guests watching the meticulously disciplined...

China takes extreme security measures for parade Apartments on the route are evacuated, businesses are forced to close early and transit lines are suspended as China prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary. 'Are we having fun?' one critic asks. China to parade its new and improved arsenal By Barbara Demick September 30, 2009 E-mail Print Share Text Size Reporting from Beijing - This is a parade that demands state-level security. Discipline. Extreme secrecy. Ordinary people will not be allowed anywhere near the parade route in Beijing on Thursday, when the People's Republic of China marks the 60th anniversary of its...

I'm up with relatives in the Walla Walla, WA. area and ventured over to the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days Parade. I've been to it before and it seemed bigger than usual this year. As the entries went by one by one, it all lead up to the grand finale' which resulted in the ultimate in patriotism. First, a group of Tea Party Patriots marched by and they received a warm response from the spectators along the parade route. Following the Patriots was the first half of the motorcycle club called the Combat Veterans of America. They too received...

MONTREAL, Quebec, July 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Montreal's gay festival, Divers/Cité, has been denied a grant under the Conservatives new tourism stimulus program, a decision that is being connected to the harsh criticism levied by concerned citizens against the Tory government last month over its nearly $400,000 grant to the Toronto Pride festival. The Montreal festival promotes homosexuality through art and music, advertising lewd drama and drag queen performances, and is scheduled this year for July 26 - August 2. The organizers of the $2 million event applied to Industry Canada for a $155,000 grant under the new $100 million...

Soldiers Die of Sunstroke Preparing for PRC Founding Celebration By chinafreepress.org (translation) Jul 12, 2009 - 2:10:47 PM Soldiers Die of Sunstroke Preparing for PRC Founding Celebration Boxun reports that in preparation for the military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC on October 1, Beijing primary, middle, and high school students have endured temperatures over 100 degrees. Because it has been unusually hot in Beijing since late June, some soldiers preparing for the military parade have suffered from heat stroke and there have even been deaths, but the military has tightly censored reporting of...

Live Internet TV Feeds (Direct Windows Media Player Links)Pittsburgh NBC | Pittsburgh ABC 06.15.09: Pittsburgh Officials Prepare for 350,000 fans at Penguins' Victory Parade The City of Champions has gone Cup crazy. As Pittsburghers basked in the glow of a second pro sports championship in four months, the Stanley Cup toured PNC Park on Sunday, Sidney Crosby talked about the excitement of a two-title town and people crammed hotels in advance of today's celebration parade Downtown. "It's been an amazing couple of days," Penguins winger Bill Guerin said after throwing out the first pitch at yesterday's Pirates game. "This city...

Parade Magazine interview on 5/10/09 with Larry Burns, GM R&D chief: ... What about progress on electric cars and hydrogen-powered vehicles? The Chevrolet Volt—which comes out in 2010—goes 40 miles on a single battery charge. We're also testing 100 hydrogen fuel cell Chevrolet Equinoxes. The beauty about fuel cells is that they can be re-energized in five minutes and go 300 miles, whereas it takes eight hours to recharge a battery that goes 40 miles. Isn't hydrogen an infrastructure problem? No place to fill up? There are 170,000 service stations in the U.S. How many would have to provide hydrogen...

MOSCOW, May 9 (RIA Novosti) - A military parade involving over 9,000 personnel, 103 sophisticated tracked and wheeled military vehicles, as well as 69 aircraft and helicopters was launched on Moscow's Red Square at 10:00 a.m. Moscow time (06:00 GMT) on Saturday, when Russia celebrates Victory Day. Victory Day marks the final surrender by Nazi Germany to the U.S.S.R. in WWII, often referred to as the Great Patriotic War in Russia and other states in the former Soviet Union. Moscow's Military District Commander, Col. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, is running the parade. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev addressed the parade, congratulating the...

A deadly car crash claimed the lives of 5 spectators at the Queen's Day parade in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. 12 others were wounded in what authorities suspect was an attempted attack on Queen Beatrix and her family. From Radio Netherlands: Queen's Day celebrations in Apeldoorn ended in tragedy, with five people killed and 12 injured, five of them seriously. Just before noon a man deliberately drove his car at high speed into a crowd watching an open-topped coach carrying the Royal Family pass by. The driver is a 38-year-old Dutchman. The public prosecutor says the man told police the target...

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House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey threw a bucket of cold water on the Obama administration’s foreign policy agenda Thursday, admitting serious doubt about success in Afghanistan and Pakistan and no appetite for helping the International Monetary Fund until European allies do more to stimulate their economies.

NEW ORLEANS – A Mardi Gras parade erupted into chaos on Fat Tuesday when a series of gunshots struck seven people, including a toddler. The child was not seriously injured and two suspects were in custody, police said. The shootings happened near the Garden District about 1:40 p.m. after the last major parade of the celebration, Rex, had ended. A stream of truck floats that follow the parade were passing by when gunfire broke out. "It sounded like a string of fireworks, so I knew it was more than one shooter," said Toni Labat, 29, a limousine company manager. She...

Utah is the only state that requires people to fill out an application and pay a fee before entering a bar. But the shelf life of this law — enacted 40 years ago in a state where nearly two out of three residents are members of a religion that shuns drinking — appears to be dwindling. In Utah, and across the country, governors and lawmakers faced with budget deficits are advocating loosening laws that restrict alcohol consumption in the hopes of boosting tax revenues. _ In Georgia, Connecticut, Indiana, Texas, Alabama and Minnesota, lawmakers are considering legislation this year that...

San Diego, Calif., Feb 19, 2009 / 09:45 pm (CNA).- A California jury found on Tuesday that four firefighters, who were ordered by their superiors to participate in the city’s “gay pride” parade were sexually harassed, and awarded them monetary damages from the city. The case dates back to July 2007 when four San Diego firefighters were informed by their superiors that they would be participating in San Diego’s annual “Gay Pride” parade.  Though the four men protested, they were ordered to dress up in full uniform and ride on the fire engine along the parade route. During the...

SAN DIEGO – A jury found four San Diego firefighters who sued the city were sexually harassed after being ordered to participate in a gay pride parade. ---snip--- The firemen said they were subjected to sexually charged conduct and lewd comments while riding a fire engine in the July 2007 parade. ---snip--- The firemen said they were subjected to cat-calls and saw barely clothed men simulate sex acts along the route on University Avenue in Hillcrest.

James Brady, the Parade magazine celebrity columnist whose wide-ranging career also included novels, a memoir on his Korean War service and a stint as publisher of the fashion bible Women's Wear Daily, has died at 80.

Montgomery, Ala. (WSFA) -- They're part of a long standing tradition that will soon become a part of Presidential history. The head of the Alabama NAACP, however, wants Mobile's Azalea Trail Maids to stay home on Inauguration Day, claiming the group reminds him of slavery. "These are not just regular costumes. These are the costumes that remind someone of the plantation in Gone with the Wind," Edward Vaughn said in a phone interview. Vaughn went on to say the group would be the laughing stock of the Inauguration. County leaders say nothing could be further from the truth. "We want...

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Servicemembers walk alongside their float during the inaugural Joint Base Balad holiday parade, Dec. 25, 2008. Photo by Airman 1st Class Jason Epley, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. JOINT BASE BALAD — The sight may have been out of the ordinary, but for some strange reason, seeing reindeer, sleighs and Santa Claus detained by U.S. Navy Customs agents did not surprise service members here Christmas Day. This odd scene took place along the route of the inaugural Joint Base Balad Holiday Parade, sponsored by the U.S. Army’s 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and displayed the sense of tradition U.S. servicemembers try to...

The American Catholic News Agency (CNA) has linked a gay band scheduled to march in Barack Obama’s inauguration parade to a festival “infamous for its public lewd acts”. CNA says the Lesbian and Gay Band Association’s website also lists them as appearing at the Southern Decadence festival. The Lesbian and Gay Band Association is a network of lesbian and gay bands comprised of concert and marching bands from various American cities. CNA reports that a press release from the Presidential Inaugural Committee states that the group’s appearance in the Inaugural Parade on January 20 will mark the first time an...

Mustangs that were running wild less than two years ago will be part of next month’s inaugural parade for Barack Obama. The formerly wild horses are part of the U.S. Border Patrol’s mounted unit, which operates out of Colville, Metaline Falls and other Inland Northwest locations. The unit received an invitation to bring eight of its mustangs to Washington, D.C., next month to march in the parade with the agency’s honor guard and bagpipe and drum team. For the unit, the invitation represents a chance to show off a successful program that blends environmentally friendly practices and criminal rehabilitation. For...

Revelers pack city as Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade delights young and old   Dr. Seuss' Horton from 'Horton Hears a Who' made his parade debut Thursday. Related News - Photo Gallery Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloons Welcome to the biggest turkey bash on the planet. Clowns tossed confetti. Children marveled at the bobbing balloons. And throngs of revelers packed the streets Thursday for the 82nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  "It brings out the kid in all of us," said Greg Packer, 44, of Huntington, L.I. "It's that sense of togetherness that keeps me coming back."  It was a day...

He is the bridge that connects Thanksgiving to Christmas, autumn to winter, the calm store aisles of early November to the go-go-go shopping season of December. Santa Claus is expected to arrive in Herald Square a few minutes before noon. He will follow 10 bands, 13 giant balloons, 28 floats, 900 clowns and 1,700 cheerleaders. Millions of people will line the streets of Manhattan, waiting for the moment when Jolly Old St. Nick puts the finishing touches on this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 82nd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade When: 9 a.m. to noon Thursday Where: Manhattan...

Preview: CT VETERANS DAY PARADE, from CT GOE coordinator Message from Connecticut State Coordinator i HAVE REGISTERED THE GATHERING OF EAGLES TO BE A PARADE PARTICIPANT IN THE ANNUAL VETERAN'S DAY PARADE IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT ON NOVEMBER 2, 2008 This message also contains official information from the State website, please read all here is a GOOGLE map of the site: http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4RNWN_enUS293US293&q=hartford,+ct&um=1&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title Here is the OFFICIAL map of the site: http://www.ctveteransdayparade.org/docs/VetsMap08.pdf It is IMPERITIVE that we show up before 11AM!! We need the time to set up with the parade marshalls and be counted and all that good stuff. Mostly, it...

Parade magazine published a cartoon caption contest today. I made 10 entries. Two of them I'm sure will absolutely NOT win. I figure folks here will enjoy them though. 1. Well DUH! Of course I'm voting for him ! These rumors you've been reading on the Internet of him being some old giant mutant rat are just that, rumors!2. Hey, I understand! OK? Sure I'm your friend and you're proud of that, but I know that if you're going to win this election you must deny me!

DENVER -- With signs reading "Don't Celebrate Genocide," "Don't Celebrate Racism," and "The Americas' First Terrorist," the preview to the annual Columbus Day parade seemed to have the same passion that lead to conflicts in previous years. But 2008 was the year without arrests. In stark contrast to a warm, sunny 2007 when fake blood and 83 arrests ruled the day, Saturday's chilly, misty event was much less confrontational. "They both have freedom of speech to express their views and that's what we allowed and that's what happened," said Det. Sharon Hahn, spokeswoman for the Denver Police Department. Police had...

Members of Iran's basij militia perform during a military parade commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, in Tehran September 21, 2008. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN)

The Secrets of the Great Presidents 1. The courage to stay strong A President needs the ability to withstand adversity and motivate himself in the face of frustration. From childhood, Lincoln showed a determination to rise above the poverty into which he was born. Despite failures that would have felled most others, he never lost faith that if he refused to despair, he would eventually succeed. Roosevelt, by contrast, grew up with wealth, privilege, and love. His crucible came in a polio attack that left him a paraplegic at 39. While crippling his body, the paralysis expanded his sensibilities. He...

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden came to Pittsburgh today, but decided not to march in the Labor Day Parade. He said Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf Coast made it inappropriate for him to campaign in the festive setting of the parade. "This is just not a day for national politics. Our focus should be what's happening in the Gulf," Mr. Biden said during a Downtown news conference while the parade was under way a few blocks away. Gov. Ed Rendell, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and numerous Allegheny County politicians marched at the front of the parade.

Crown Heights will see its first-ever Straight Pride Parade this weekend. So how do the homos feel? By Jaime Jordan Reggae artists on the Taking Care Of Our Own Productions (myspace.com/tcooo) label are planning a Straight Pride Parade for Sunday 31 at 10am, starting at Church and Flatbush Avenues in Crown Heights and continuing down Bob Marley Avenue. It was organized in response to accusations made by gay activists, specifically Peter Tatchell, founder of the activist group OutRage!, that certain reggae songs, including Stapler’s “Hit Them Hard,” incite violence against gays. “The issue is not homophobia,” explains Tatchell. “It is...

There's nothing like celebrating marriage with hundreds of thousands of your closest friends. Less than two weeks after same-sex marriage became legal in California, drag queens, kids, politicians, shirtless men, married couples, straight couples and tourists flocked to San Francisco for the city's 38th annual San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration, which culminated Sunday with a huge parade. Marriage was in the air as scores of people lined Market Street for the annual event, where veils and wedding garb were the fashion choice of many parade participants and spectators. Of course, scantily clad boys and girls - and...

5/27/2008 - BRIDESBURG, Pa. (AFPN) -- Airmen paraded down the streets of Bridesburg adorned with red, white and blue flags and banners May 26 to kick off not only Air Force Week in Philadelphia but also the city's annual Memorial Day parade Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, the commander of Air Mobility Command, led a contingent of Airmen and equipment in the parade that included a flyby of two KC-10 Extenders from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., as more than 10,000 spectators from throughout the region watched. With the general leading the way in a Humvee, approximately 75 Airmen from the...

The headline for the poll may as well have read “Vote Yes to Save PBS,” but the editors at Parade magazine didn’t go quite that far. A poll on Parade’s Web site posted on May 4 ask respondents how Congress should vote on supporting PBS with $400 million in funding, or as they put it – “whether to continue supporting Big Bird – or give him the ax.” And on top of that, NPR affiliates have joined in a campaign to skew the poll’s results. “In the next few months, Congress will decide whether to continue supporting Big Bird –...

March 31, 2008 Group Tied to Pakistani Terrorist to Parade in Binghamton, NY Instead of those plastic toy swords sold at normal parades, they will be selling replicas of the one used by Mohammed to behead infidels.... The city of Binghamton, New York granted a group with ties to Islamic terrorist Sheikh Mubarek Ali Gilani a permit to publicly celebrate Milad-un-Nabi, or Muhammed’s birthday, in the streets of Binghamton this Saturday. The Muslims of the Americas (MOA), the name used by Jamaat ul Fuqra, or “Community of the Impoverished,” was issued a permit for a public celebration that includes a...

(CNN) – There was no red or blue politics Saturday, only green as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton marched in this city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. It was the first of two holiday parades for the New York senator. She travels to Scranton in eastern Pennsylvania to take part in that city's St. Patrick's Day festivities later in the day. Pennsylvania is the next big battleground in the race for the White House. There are 158 delegates at stake when the state holds its primary on April 22.

Here’s a shot of Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson--two likely mayoral candidates--at the all-inclusive St. Patrick’s Day parade in Sunnyside yesterday afternoon. Quinn marched behind the parade’s official banner, while Thompson marched behind the flag for the Stonewall Democrats, a major gay Democratic club in the city. The parade is an annual event, held in response to a larger parade in Manhattan that doesn’t allow gays to march under their own banner. (That parade will be held this year on March 17). Christine Quinn was one of the grand marshals of the Sunnyside parade, along with newspaper columnist and author...

EL PASO, Texas, Feb. 28, 2008 – The 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team may be a relative newcomer here, but more than 3,000 of the unit’s soldiers got a Texas-sized hometown heroes’ welcome yesterday as the city hosted a homecoming parade to honor them for their service in Iraq. Unit guidons from Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, dip their flags in a salute as soldiers file past the reviewing stand during a Welcome Home Heroes Parade in El Paso, Texas, Feb. 27, 2008. Photo by Staff Sgt Paula Taylor, USA  (Click photo for...

In the French Quarter, crowds jammed sidewalks from Rampart to Jackson Square as the beloved pooch parade, the Mystic Krewe of Barkus, rolled to the theme "Indiana Bones and the Raiders of the Lost Bark." Before the parade, hundreds gathered for several hours at the pre-parade "Pawty," enjoying music, food and admiring costumed dogs and themed floats.

Cindy Sheehan: Down with BushCo–and screw the evil corporate Rose Bowl parade, too! By Michelle Malkin  •  January 1, 2008 01:44 PM   As promised, St. Cindy stinks up the Rose Bowl parade and delivers an unhinged salvo posted at After Downing Street–complete with BushCo/Hitler epithets, anti-American insults, and Absolute Moral Authority sanctimony: Since the conquest of Poland three hundred thousand Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way … The German people slumber on in their dull, stupid sleep and encourage these fascist criminals … Each man wants to be exonerated of a guilt of this kind,...

There could be some discord during the Tournament of Roses Parade as demonstrators promise to raise issues during the holiday spectacle that has been going on for more than a century. Human rights advocates plan to protest a float honoring the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and anti-war activists, including "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan, intend to rally for peace. The theme of this year's New Year's Day parade is "Passport to the World's Celebrations." It will feature 46 floats, 21 marching bands and 18 equestrian units...

Editor's note: We are all saddened by the murder this morning of Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto. The assassination adds more danger and confusion to the already chaotic situation in the region. In late November, PARADE sent Contributing Editor Gail Sheehy to Pakistan. Sheehy traveled with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto as she campaigned through her home provinces. Sheehy had two long interviews with her—the first in Bhutto’s home in Islamabad, a second at her residence outside Karachi. Bhutto told Sheehy that she had long been a target of terrorists. She knew she was also now a target of the Musharraf government....

In late November, PARADE sent Contributing Editor Gail Sheehy to Pakistan. Sheehy traveled with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto as she campaigned through her home provinces. Sheehy had two long interviews with her—the first in Bhutto’s home in Islamabad, a second at her residence outside Karachi. Bhutto told Sheehy that she had long been a target of terrorists. She knew she was also now a target of the Musharraf government. Today’s suicide bombing mirrors the earlier attempt on her life that Bhutto described to Sheehy.

Returning soldiers honouredFive hundred soldiers from The Royal Anglian Regiment have been honoured in a homecoming parade. Friends, family and well-wishers gave their thanks to the troops for fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The First Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, which has its home at barracks in Pirbright, Surrey marched through the town centre accompanied by a military bandDuring the gruelling six-month tour nine comrades were killed and scores more were injured. The First Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, which has its home at barracks in Pirbright, Surrey marched through the town centre accompanied by a military band. The battalion...

We want to thank you for visiting our website! We plan on bringing some of the most prolific and beautiful warbird / air racer vintage aircraft to Petaluma to be hosted by the sponsors on Sunday Nov 11 between 8:30 A.M. and 2 P.M. The sponsors are cordially invited to view aircraft up close and personal. You will have a chance to meet active test pilots, air racers, airshow performers, and veterans who have served our country to preserve freedom. Between 1-2 P.M. you will have a chance to see these beautiful aircraft take to the skies for formation fly...

SIERRA VISTA — The public is invited to honor and support veterans and active duty soldiers by attending the Veterans Day Parade on Saturday. The parade is scheduled to step off at 9 a.m. at Seventh Street and Fry Boulevard and will travel east on Fry to Veterans’ Memorial Park. Fry will be closed between these points beginning at approximately 8:50 a.m. through the duration of the parade. Seventh Street, Marianne Drive, Lenzner Avenue and Wilcox Drive (between Seventh Street and Lenzner Avenue) will be closed to traffic beginning at 7 a.m. to provide the staging area for the parade....

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2007 – A remarkable parade in Iraq’s Anbar province, openly attended by citizens from all walks of life, demonstrates that Iraqi reconciliation efforts are working, a coalition commander said today. “Out in al Anbar, which you know has been a difficult area about six months ago: a total change,” Army Brig. Gen. Dave Phillips told online journalists and bloggers during a conference call from Baghdad. “When they say there is an awakening, I think that's almost an understatement.” Phillips, deputy commanding general for the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, said he personally attended an event earlier this...

Twin bombs strike at Benazir Bhutto's parade By Isambard Wilkinson in Karachi Last Updated: 9:13pm BST 18/10/2007 Bombers targeting a homecoming parade for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto have killed at least 30 of her supporters in Pakistan. Paramilitary soldiers stand guard as supporters await the former PM's arrival in Karachi Ms Bhutto was not harmed but dozens of her followers were hurt when two blasts ripped through a procession of tens of thousands celebrating her return. The devices appear to have exploded just feet in front of a truck which had been transporting the triumphant Ms Bhutto through the...

Santa Claus will once again parade down Hollywood Boulevard. Though, in March, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced will no longer sponsor the annual holiday parade, the Los Angeles City Council decided to throw its financial weight behind the effort and ensure that a procession will indeed be held in Hollywood. The value of the city's sponsorship has not yet been determined, but City Councilman Tom LaBonge said other sponsors will be sought to help pay for the event. The Chamber of Commerce said it was dropping plans for the event after 75 years because it had lost about $100,000...