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Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 418,000, the Labor Department said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 410,000. The prior week's figure was revised up to 408,000 from the previously reported 405,000.

<p>Soul diva Patti LaBelle has delivered a legal counter-punch against a former West Point cadet who claimed her bodyguards beat him, saying the man sparked the altercation by addressing the singer in a racially and sexually offensive way.</p> <p>In her lawsuit, LaBelle says said King "obviously in an inebriated state" screamed obscenities and tried to enter the limo in which the singer was seated. On two occasions, the lawsuit says, LaBelle lowered her car window to speak with her staff.</p>

Morbidly Obese Man Dies After Two Years in the Same Chair Ohio Man Reported Stuck to Chair With His Own Waste; Later Died at Hospital A morbidly obese man has died after being stuck in a chair at home that he had been unable to leave for two years, ABC affiliate WRTF reported and ABC News has confirmed. Watch: Tilikum's Big Comeback at Sea World The Bellaire, Ohio man, who has not been publicly identified, was a patient at Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia, ABC Affiliate WTRF reported. On Sunday, the 43-year-old man's two roommates discovered him unconscious. They called...

Yes. This is exactly what it sounds like. Here's a news clip discussing the new trend. I guess going outside for a run isn't spiritual enough. If you really want to love Jesus, you need to install a stripper pole in your basement, embrace your inner Rahab and let the praise spring forth.

Refer to the link and see how weird is this...

Are you a sinner? Don't worry, there's an app for that. The Roman Catholic Church has approved a recent iTunes addition called Confession, a $1.99 app that bills itself as "the perfect aid for every penitent." As you can see above, it lets you pick a commandment and tick off all your sins, keeping a running tally to bring into the confessional with you -- a sort of anti-tasklist, if you will. Can't find your particular misstep? No problem! You're able to add your own, custom dastardly deeds, filling in those gaps the app's authors didn't think anyone would fill....

Hilary Clinton wore this outfit to a pre-wedding dinner in Rhinebeck, NY last night -- discuss ...

Mostly pictures.

U.S. President Barack Obama says March's health-care reform bill already is improving millions of Americans' lives. In his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama touted the first benefits of Democrat-backed legislation that narrowly passed through Congress earlier this year. Mr. Obama says the entire health-insurance industry has agreed to stop canceling the coverage of people when they get sick, ahead of a September deadline requiring insurers to do so. Mr. Obama also says a new federal office, the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, will help states stop insurance companies from "gaming" (exploiting) the health-care system. He says his administration...

For the last several years, Sean Hannity and the Freedom Alliance “charity” have conducted “Freedom Concerts” across America. They’ve told you that they are raising money to pay for the college tuition of the children of fallen soldiers and to pay severely wounded war vets. And on Friday Night, Hannity will be honored with an award for this “Outstanding Community Service by a Radio Talk Show Host” at Talkers Magazine’s convention. But it’s all a huge scam.

Subtitle: DHS Is Monitoring Social Media and Web Sites for Terror and Disaster Info As the winter Olympics begin, the Department of Homeland Security has disclosed that it will be monitoring the comments and posts on websites and social media like Twitter for information on possible terror threats. Among the sites listed in a privacy impact statement filed Friday afternoon by DHS are the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post, Twitter, Google and this web site, the Blotter. Photo: DHS Monitors Social Media Websites for Olympic Security Police patrol the area outside of the BC Place Stadium which will host the...

I have learned from my secret, and usually reliable, sources that the nefarious Rahm Emanuel has devised a sinister contingency plan to save the Democrat majority in both houses of Congress. The plan is named “Operation Albatross.” If the economy has not significantly improved within 30 days of the upcoming elections, and the polls continue to foreshadow massive loss of seats by the Democrats, President Obama plans to switch parties and become a Republican. It is thought that the high negative ratings Obama brings to the table will then work to insure a massive Republican defeat. Part of this plot...

Fort Hood Tragedy -- Barack Obama Gives "Shout-Out" Before He Comments on Shooting -- FOX News

Speeds of 150 mph were clocked early Friday by Grapevine police as they tried to stop a sports utility vehicle on Texas 114, according to reports. The driver of the 2008 Buick Enclave, Ismael Esparza, 37, of Southlake, was arrested for driving while intoxicated, said Lt. Todd Dearing, spokesman for Grapevine police. An officer was sent at 2:18 a.m. to check on a report of an intoxicated driver on Texas 121, north of DFW Airport, Dearing said. It was unclear if the Enclave was the same vehicle, but it passed the officer's patrol car at a very high speed,...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A coalition of mainline Protestant churches have authored a letter to members of Congress asking them to make certain the health care bills they are considering contain taxpayer funding for abortions. The letter comes from a group of churches that have long advocated the pro-abortion position. Under the umbrella of the Religious Institute, the church denominations and more than 1,100 pastors and church staff from the denominations endorsed the letter. The letter calls abortion a “morally justifiable decision” and opposed any amendments to the House and Senate bills, which current contain massive abortion funding, to strike...

At first I thought this article was a joke. I really thought that there was no way our government schools have gotten this bad. But I was wrong. Go figure. The Tucson Unified School District has decided to implement a two-tiered system for student discipline. One tier will be for blacks and Hispanics ... and the other tier will be for everyone else.

The most popular player in SEC history is saving himself for marriage. Unbelievable. I asked him this afternoon, and he didn't even blink before responding

When presidents are new, first impressions really count: Your demeanor (shirtsleeves, not jackets, in the Oval Office), your stature (move over, Mr. Sarkozy). Since President Obama's presidential bid was a very long affair-and since his predecessor left with a 28 percent approval rating-he came into office with an advantage. Americans surely liked him better than the previous guy. the underdog who beat the once-presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton. And, by the way, he also gave great speeches. But new presidents are always tested, as Joe Biden famously predicted. And Obama has had more than his share-an economic crisis that threatened to...

"An anti-Islam Dutch politician banned from entering Great Britain says he has been detained upon arrival at Heathrow Airport and will be returned home."

NEW DELHI: With Democrat senator Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the US presidential polls, a group of well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious. Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified. The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms. An hour-long...