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Curling Nationals sweep into Philly The 2012 USA Curling National Championships kick off Saturday afternoon at IceWorks Skating Complex. Twenty-one of the top men's and women's curling teams in the U.S. will take the ice beginning Saturday morning with pre-competition practice. The opening ceremonies are slated for 2:30 p.m. Saturday. This is the first time that the Nationals have been hosted in the Philadelphia area and first time since 2007 that the event is being hosted on the east coast. The 10 women's and 11 men's teams will compete in a round robin with the top four teams advancing to...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acpxp93P1M0&feature=g-all-u&context=G277ceb8FAAAAAAAACAA

MK Michael Ben Ari is still being refused a visa to enter the United States – but the lawmaker says Hamas terrorists are allowed to visit. In an interview with Arutz Sheva's Hebrew news service, Ben Ari said Wednesday that he is “still waiting” for a visa to visit the U.S.” Ben Ari noted that even after thousands of people were killed in the September 11, 2001 multi-site Al Qaeda terrorist attack on America, “The United States allows terrorists to enter its territory.” The lawmaker contended that “It shows something about the country, that what may happen to the next...

The gay agenda is pervasive; ‘it is everywhere:’ Brokeback Mountain, La Cage aux Follett, Log Cabin ‘republicans,’ democratic party powerhouses, numerous library books- all seemingly unstoppable. It is almost as if Kinsey, who wanted to ‘push the envelope,’ won- with his ‘observations’ of sexual behavior of his college students, and in depth interviews of homosexual pedophiles. Kinsey is the one who came up with the continuum of sexual preference from gay to straight- seemingly through his intense observations of the results of sexual abuse on male minors by his pedophiles. But how do we stop this immorality? This nation, the...

"Don't do it." That is the message American officials, from President Obama on down, are delivering to their Israeli counterparts in the hope of dissuading the Jewish state from taking a fateful step: attacking Iran to prevent the mullahs' imminent acquisition of nuclear weapons. This week, the nation's top military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin E. Dempsey, will visit Israel to convey the same message in person. If recent reports of other U.S. demarches are any guide, the general will deliver an insistent warning that Israel must give sanctions more time to work and refrain from...

It's true that ultra-conservatives (and I'm one of them!) often wrongly assume they'll be backed up by the public at large when they support "Hail Mary" policies (balanced budget amendments, a fair tax, the Ryan plan, etc.) or when they wish for a complete repudiation of the Obama presidency in the 2012 presidential election. We get ourselves into trouble by telling ourselves “fairy tales that everyone is on [our] side and just waiting to discover the fact.� The Tea Party, as it turns out, is not a microcosm of the entire country.Nevertheless, the United States is still a center-right nation,...

Beware of bubbles of false hope. Right now there is a lot of talk about how the U.S. economy is improving, but it is all a lie. The mainstream media can be very seductive. When you sit down to watch television your brain tends to go into a very relaxed mode. In such a state, it becomes easy to slip thoughts and ideas past your defenses. Sometimes when I am watching television I realize what the media is trying to do and yet I can still feel it happening to me. In this day and age, it is absolutely...

A university lecturer and nuclear scientist has been killed in a car explosion in north Tehran, reports say. Iranian media sources named the casualty as Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, an academic who also worked at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The blast happened when a motorcyclist stuck a magnetic bomb on the car, said Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated in recent years, with Iran blaming Israel and the US. Both countries deny the accusations. Local sources said Wednesday's blast took place at a faculty of Iran's Allameh Tabatai university. Two others were reportedly also injured...

Iran has the ability to temporarily block the Strait of Hormuz but the U.S. “would take action and reopen” it, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey said Sunday, making clear to Iran that in threatening to close the straits, it is literally playing with fire. . “They’ve invested in capabilities that could, in fact, for a period of time block the Strait of Hormuz,” Dempsey said in an interview for CBS's “Face the Nation." “We’ve invested in capabilities to ensure that if that happens, we can defeat that.” Blocking the strategic shipping lane linking the Gulf of Oman...

“Over the past three years, Barack Obama has been replacing our merit-based society with an Entitlement Society,” Mitt Romney wrote in USA Today last month. The coming election, Romney told Wall Street Journal editors last month, will be “a very simple choice” between Obama’s “European social democratic” vision and “a merit-based opportunity society — an American-style society — where people earn their rewards based on their education, their work, their willingness to take risks and their dreams.” Romney’s assertions are the centerpiece of his, and his party’s, critique not just of Obama but of American liberalism generally. But they fail...

Pakistan today said it will take steps to maintain the credibility of its nuclear deterrence following India's decision to acquire a Russian nuclear attack submarine on a 10-year lease. "We are looking at these developments very closely. Rest assured, there will be no compromise in terms of maintaining the credibility of our deterrence," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said during a weekly news briefing. Basit was responding to a question about Pakistan's response to India's acquisition of an Akula-II class submarine on lease from Russia and the construction of another indigenous nuclear submarine. At the same time, Basit said Pakistan...

SNIPPET - quote: Dissemination *_is_* collection I always get a kick out of people who tell me I give away intelligence for free. What I do is watch how information moves. Keep in mind that the subject covered on this site are pretty darn esoteric by most standards. What kind of people, for example, even know who Oussama Salhab is? Answers include: Oussama Salhab, his family, friends, associates in and out of Hizballah, people he does business with, spies of various nations, etc. Yep. The barn is free, and so is the food.

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Photo: Unknown Did you know that America once had an emperor? As ridiculous as this sounds, few heads of state have received burials as regal and solemn as that which took place in San Francisco, on January 10th, 1880. 30,000 people lined the streets, while businesses closed for the day and flags flew at half-mast. Many had shed bitter tears on reading, ‘Le Roi est mort’ – the King is dead. This ‘king’ left an estate worth only $6 when he died – a tramp of madcap appearance, who collapsed on a rain-swept street two days before his funeral,...

Former Miss USA Rima Fakih, 26, was serving as a designated driver Saturday night for herself and a companion, but realised only after she was behind the wheel that she, too, was intoxicated, her lawyer said. The beauty queen was arrested Saturday on suspicion of drunk driving in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.

You are " MY CLOUD" I bring "MY RAIN" through that releases those held captive in their dreams of iniquity and strife. Those that the forces of darkness have harnessed to the plow of guilt. And so through you I shall bring the rains of freedom from all the lies the enemy that they may walk with Me in the Garden of My ways releasing MY Kingdom "That is in Eternal Harvest" and as they drink in ~ The Nectar of My Virtue ~ and devour The Will Of The FATHER , they to shall become My cloud and rain...

Want to consider something for a change, rather than simply accept mass advertized "free trade" propaganda from Walmart during this season, to be buying crap made in China?

It is already unambigously confirmed that the Polish government's plane carrying president Lech Kaczynski and other the highest ranking military and state officials did not collided with the birch. It also did not turned upside down due to this collision as the Russian investigators claim. The cause of the TU-154 plane that crashed on April 10, 2010 must be different.

"HOW IT WORKS...According to ABC News (2011), "economists say that if every one of us spent an extra $3.33 on U.S.-made goods every year, it would create nearly 10,000 new jobs in this country." This statement can only be realized if there is a concentrated effort to increase Made In USA purchases, which is the primary driver beind the vision of ChooseMadeInUSA.com. CHOOSEMADEINUSA.COM is an open ecommerce marketplace allowing sellers to offer their products to buyers that are searching for Made in USA products. Click here for more information. Sellers agree to terms of sale then will upload products with...

According to this article, “customer service representatives from Butterball, one of America’s most popular Turkey brands, confirmed to WND that the company’s whole turkeys are – without being labeled as such – slaughtered according to Islamic “halal” standards.” Subway is now offering halal meat, too, FYI. NEAT. And in case you don’t read sites like WorldNetDaily or AtlasShrugs or, well, our humble little blog, you probably don’t know this crap is even happening. I mean – why would you? Nowadays it’s just PC to appease Islamic folks, regardless of the fact that Christians and Jews MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF...

Vladimir Putin is KGB through and through and considers the collapse of the USSR as the "biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century". Since he knows Russia cannot win by competing directly with the West, I believe Putin is arranging to have the West severely crippled by proxy. It’s like selling a loaded rifle to your opponents’ enemies who then shoot his horse while in a horse race with you. It is genius. Russia will actually win the Cold War without firing a shot. At the “end of the Cold War”, we quit, they didn’t. Reagan said ‘Russia does not want...

The agenda for a North American Union is underway and a new security perimeter deal will blur the lines at the border and further erode the sovereignty of Canadians and Americans. On November 13th Stephen Harper, Barack Obama and Felipe Calderon will meet for the North American Leaders Summit to discuss their plans for the NAU. Meanwhile CETA the Canadian-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement presents itself as a major step towards a New World Order and the centralization of power.

Something is definitely going on between Israel andIran. More behind-the-scenes diplomacy? Plotting tougher sanctions? Or is something real, finally in the works? It's not quite clear what that "something" may be. Uncertainty is exactly what the Israelis prescribe for now. The window of opportunity to destroy Iran's nuclear-weapons program is swiftly closing, Western intelligence sources say. The Israelis, who have everything to lose, understand that if they're going to do something about a foe building a nuclear weapon while boasting that it will "wipe Israel off the map," the time to act is now. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),...

Over the past week, there has been an avalanche of news reports in the Israeli and Western media about the possibility of an imminent Israeli or American strike on Iran’s nuclear installations. These reports were triggered by a report on Iran’s nuclear program set to be published by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency later this week. According to the media, the IAEA’s report will deal a devastating blow to Iran’s persistent claims that its illegal nuclear program is “peaceful.” Specifically, the IAEA report is expected to divulge information about Iran’s efforts to develop and test components that have no...

SNIPPET: "British Jihadi Anjem Choudary Tweets On March 19, 2011, British jihadi Anjem Choudary, spokesman for the banned Islam4UK organization, co-founder of Al-Muhajiroun, and spiritual advisor to the UK Islamist group Muslims Against Crusades (MAC),[18] launched a Twitter account and began tweeting. MAC made headlines last week for threatening a British MP who subsequently called on their activities to be closely monitored by law enforcement.[19] According to his Twitter account, Choudary is "a Muslim who believes that Islam is something we must believe in (Tawheed), live by (Shari'ah) and struggle and sacrifice for (by way of Daw'ah and Jihad)."[20] In...

Israel and the United States may successfully harm Teheran through the overt propaganda operation. It was launched last week by Israeli daily Yediot Ahoronot. And it was carried by Israeli politicians for few days. It appears to be coordinated effort of Israel and the Western states.

You have to hand it to the Palestinians. They decided to abandon the peace process and seek international recognition of the "State of Palestine" -- a state in a de facto state of war with Israel. And they are pursuing their goal relentlessly. This week their efforts bore their first fruit with the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) vote to accept "Palestine" as a full state member. It is not a coincidence that the PLO/PA decided to apply for membership for "Palestine" at UNESCO first. Since 1974 UNESCO has been an enthusiastic partner in the Palestinians' bid to...

What would have happened if, during the Cold War, Soviet intelligence had been responsible for training Americans charged with countering communist aggression? Surely, we would not have defeated the USSR. Perhaps, instead, Kruschev's boast that his nation would dance on our graves would have been realized. It should, therefore, be profoundly alarming that, today, the Obama administration is entrusting to agents of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB or Ikhwan in Arabic) the responsibility for approving who and what is used in "countering violent extremism" training for our military, law enforcement, intelligence personnel. The use of the term "countering violent extremism" (or...

A decision by the U.N.'s cultural organization to admit Palestine as a member state set off a confrontation between the United States and the United Nations, threatening to strip Washington of influence in several key international agencies while cutting off a major source of contributions to the world body. The Obama administration said it would cut off funding for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization just hours after the group on Monday voted 107-14 to accept the Palestinian Authority as a full member. The UNESCO action triggered U.S. laws from the early 1990s that bar Washington from giving...

As readers of Israpundit know full well, I have been very critical of the West for its attack on Libya. I went so far as to suggest all the people and groups who are incessant in their attacks on Israel, are complicit or asleep when it comes to the war on Libya. Today Robert E Kaplan called me to discuss certain happenings and he pointed out to me the writings of John Rosental who had written that Actually, there are reasons to doubt Libyan responsibility for both the Berlin disco bombing and the Lockerbie bombing. Re. the Berlin disco bombing,...

Monster Prediction From BofA: Another US Debt Downgrade Is Coming In Just A Few Weeks Joe Weisenthal | Oct. 22, 2011, 7:04 AM | 4,055 | 48 In an analyst note, Bofa/ML Ethan S. Harris drops a bit of a bombshell prediction: We expect a moderate slowdown in the beginning of next year, as two small policy shocks—another debt downgrade and fiscal tightening—hit the economy. The “not-so-super” Deficit Commission is very unlikely to come up with a credible deficit-reduction plan. The committee is more divided than the overall Congress. Since the fall-back plan is sharp cuts in discretionary spending, the...

- China on Friday issued a harsh rebuke of an anti-dumping complaint filed by U.S. solar firms, warning the United States not to take protectionist measures that could harm the global economy. Seven U.S. solar manufacturers on Wednesday asked the Obama administration to impose duties of more than 100 percent on China solar imports, which they said were unfairly undercutting U.S. prices and destroying American jobs. The controversy comes at a sensitive time in U.S.-China trade relations, which are plagued by U.S. concerns over market access in China, Beijing's treatment of intellectual property rights, and raging debate over the value...

BALTIMORE — The commander of the U.S. Cyber Command said Thursday that he does not favor giving the United Nations the power to regulate the Internet. Some regulations are needed to protect critical networks that control electrical power, banking, transportation and other key elements of society, Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who is also director of the National Security Agency, said after a speech to a security conference.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Sean May has been wearing an American flag pin to work every day for the last two years. "In this day, I kind of feel like it has a little bit more of a powerful meaning than just a pin on somebody's jacket, and I wear it with pride because I like where I live and I love this country," May said. The 26-year-old front desk supervisor at Casa Monica Hotel in the heart of downtown St. Augustine was told to take the pin off Thursday because it violates company policy. "I've actually gotten probably more...

While former Governor Sarah Palin is not seeking to become the next President of the United States, the rest of the world clearly is seeking her as a major player in the future of a global economy and international relations. As we head into the 2012 primaries and general election, the GOP Establishment and others would be wise to regard her likewise.Tomorrow Palin will address an international audience at The World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, South Korea (www.wkforum.org) during a 3-day conference titled “The New Economic Crisis: Reforming Global Leadership and Asia’s Challenge.” She will be among Economists (Asian...

Two of the biggest challenges facing the United States are getting people back to work and becoming less dependent on foreign oil from hostile countries. Unfortunately, the President’s rigid belief that stimulus spending could create private-sector jobs has failed and left us with higher unemployment and skyrocketing debt. His energy policies undermine America’s security by making it more difficult for entrepreneurs and private employers to produce domestic energy resources. Instead of developing proven U.S. oil and gas resources, Washington has curtailed energy exploration. The Gulf of Mexico restrictions alone have cost up to 12,000 jobs and forced drilling platforms to...

This week, JD Foster and Curtis Dubay from the Heritage Foundation wrote an article arguing that repatriation was a bad idea right now. ATR disagrees with this (and this seems to be a departure from prior Heritage Foundation policy on this, as well). Below are our reasons why: What Is Repatriation? Under U.S. tax law, a company that earns a profit overseas must, in general, pay income tax to the overseas government AND to the IRS if they bring the remaining profit back to the U.S. The company gets a credit for the foreign income tax paid, but the difference...

Hamid Karzai, Manmohan Singh sign Strategic Partnership Agreement In a major development, India has agreed to mentor the Afghan security forces as they gear up to deal with the drawdown of foreign forces by 2014. The proposal has been on the drawing board for six years since Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai first suggested it, but was not implemented as Pakistan was uncomfortable with the idea of India-trained forces on both its flanks. The proposal to train the Afghan National Security Forces was included in the first-ever Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) signed on Tuesday by Mr. Karzai and Prime Minister Manmohan...

India has launched what it says is the world's cheapest touch-screen tablet computer, priced at just $35 (£23). Costing a fraction of Apple's iPad, the subsidised Aakash is aimed at students. It supports web browsing and video conferencing, has a three-hour battery life and two USB ports, but questions remain over how it will perform. Officials hope the computer will give digital access to students in small towns and villages across India, which lags behind its rivals in connectivity. At the launch in the Indian capital, Delhi, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal handed out 500 Aakash (meaning sky) tablets...

Note: Photo and Graphic Included. NOTE The following text is a quote: FIGHTING TERROR 14 Indicted for Supporting al Shabaab 08/05/10 Two Americans are under arrest and 12 other U.S. citizens have been charged with acts of terrorism that include providing money, personnel, and other material support to the Somali-based terrorist organization al Shabaab. Results of an FBI-led global investigation were announced today at Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, where indictments were unsealed charging individuals in Minnesota, Alabama, and California. Twelve of the 14 under indictment are fugitives believed to be in Somalia. About al Shabaab On Feb. 29,...

It was just a matter of time before history once again repeats itself. I am referring to the joint press conference held by Senator Jeff Sessions, R. Atlanta, and Senator Charles Schumer, D. New York. Since the President's jobs program is a non-starter for both Republicans and Democrats it was only logical that both parties needed something to not only show the electorate that jobs were paramount but also to show that both parties could and would be bi-partisan. Who to make the whipping boy for both parties? None other than China. Then, with the blessing of Senator Harry Reed,...

The federal government spent $10,612 per person domestically last year, including more than $5,000 per person on direct safety-net programs such as Social Security, unemployment benefits and housing assistance, according to the latest tally from the U.S. Census Bureau. Broken down by states, Alaskans fared the best, with an average of nearly $18,000 per person in federal domestic spending, followed by Virginia, where a huge defense procurement industry meant the government spent more than $17,000 per person. Were it a state, the District of Columbia, which is the seat of the federal government, would have topped them all at $102,904...

There is something surreal about the coverage of developments this week at the UN. The general tenor is akin to the showdown at the O.K. Corral. Either the Palestinians win recognition of statehood, or they don't. If they do, they win. If they don't, Israel wins. The problem with this message is that even if the Palestinians don't receive UN membership they still win. There is no scenario in which Israel wins at the UN. The reason is simple. The UN is profoundly hostile to Israel. It has a large, permanent, automatic majority of members that always supports harming Israel....

The Soros Files: How George Soros Undermines America’s Security and Funds the Criminals LobbyA national conference sponsored by America’s Survival, Inc.(ASI) October 27, 2011 National Press Club – First Amendment Lounge 10 am 4 pm Open to the press and the public. Light lunch and refreshments provided.www.usasurvival.orgTo register in advance please contact Phil Kent (404) 226-3549 or philkent@philkent.comAmerica’s Survival, Inc., one of the leading research and analysis organizations devoted to national security issues, is holding another of its information-packed conferences in Washington, D.C. This conference will honor two former FBI informants, Larry Grathwohl and Brandon Darby, and feature speeches...

Last week, one of the world's most intractable disputes got even stickier. News leaked that the international-arm of India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) was in talks with the government of Vietnam over hydrocarbon exploration rights in the South China Sea. In most parts of the world this would seem a routine bi-lateral development between two countries driven by their dynamic economies. But the South China Sea, whose waters are claimed to varying degree by half a dozen countries and almost in full by China, is unlike any body of water in the world, and where an oil...

To President Barack Obama and many other Democrats, Europe continues to exercise something of a fatal attraction. The “European dream” embraced by these politicians — as well as by many pundits, academics and policy analysts — usually consists of an America governed by an expanded bureaucracy, connected by high-speed trains and following a tough green energy policy. One hopes that the current crisis gripping the E.U. will give even the most devoted Europhiles pause about the wisdom of such mimicry. Yet the deadliest European disease the U.S. must avoid is that of persistent demographic decline. The gravity of Europe’s demographic...

I don't know WHO that guy was/is who sang the national anthem to kick off the game at Chicago stadium, but he SANG (not performed) in the most onwderful way. The crowd was roaring and cheering at his rendition and broke into a great USA USA USA chant ... but Fox broke away to a commercial. Wish I could been there. GREAT day. I don't even care if the Falcons win. Chicago deserves it for picking THAT GUY to sing, and letting him sing it that way. WOW!!!

http://www.bing.com/

MICHAEL SCHIFFER, DEPUTY ASSISTANT DEFENSE SECRETARY: It is the overall trajectory of China's military modernization efforts and the fact they're working across a number of different dimensions of power in the maritime domain that is something that -- that I think we need to keep an eye on. GORDON CHANG, AUTHOR, "THE COMING COLLAPSE OF CHINA": Essentially the White House and the State Department don't want to have language that talks about China's belligerence and hostility. BRET BAIER, ANCHOR: A new Pentagon report out about five months overdue, annual report to Congress on China's military strength. And there is...