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Friday is a travel day for me, so be aware that comment moderation will be slow and sporadic. I just have time to get in word about the upcoming launch of the WISE mission, slated for December 7. NASA is planning a media briefing next Tuesday (November 17) to discuss the mission, which is designed to scan the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, spotting perhaps hundreds of thousands of asteroids and studying a wide range of stars and galaxies.The technology is fascinating in and of itself. WISE will image the entire sky in the infrared, using detectors kept below 15...

A conference like the recent on in Aosta offers plenty of opportunity to listen in on fascinating conversations, one of which had to do with what would happen if we found a brown dwarf closer to the Earth than the Centauri stars. The general consensus was that such a find would be a powerful stimulus to the public imagination and would probably result in renewed interest in getting to and exploring such a place. A boon, in short, for all our interstellar efforts, an awakening to a new set of possibilities.But if there were a brown dwarf that close,...

Conservative web journalists and radio talk show hosts are beside themselves at the stupidity of the Obama administration, and rightly so. We, too, bewail the squander of America's wealth, the weakening of her military, the traitorous, despicable mishandling of the CIA, the celebration of moral wickedness, the encroachment of constitutional liberties, the blind commitment to environmental myths, and so much more. While Bush conducted a war on terrorism (though he didn't really take off the gloves), Obama appears to be conducting a war on the war on terrorism. All of these things, though, are mere symptoms of a deeper problem,...

I’ve just obtained a speech that Sonia Sotomayor gave in 1994, in which she made a comment virtually identical to the “wise Latina” one from 2001 that has generated so much controversy. And though the 1994 speech was disclosed to Republican Senators as part of her confirmation for Court of Appeals in 1998, there’s no sign that anyone objected to it in any way. The revelation raises fresh questions as to why the 2001 comments generated the controversy they did, and suggests that the comments are not as controversial as her critics claim. A copy of the 1994 speech was...

Imagine Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sitting in a jury pool for a gender and racial discrimination case involving a minority woman who is suing her employer. During jury selection, plaintiff and defense attorneys closely question each prospective juror concerning their background and views on racial and gender issues. In response to an attorney's question as to whether she can reach a fair and unbiased decision based only on the facts, Sotomayor responds: "I would hope that a wise Latina, such as I, with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a...

As Republicans continue to hammer Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor for a 2001 assertion that’s become known as the “wise Latina” remark, her backers are struggling to come up with a single coherent line of defense. In the past few days, supporters confronted with the remark have offered a range of divergent tactics and tones, offering explanations that span from apologetic to defiant to suggesting Sotomayor may have been joking. President Obama himself addressed the bubbling controversy, which is emerging as among the leading GOP lines of attack against Sotomayor, asserting on Friday Sotomayor “would have restated” the comment if...

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharoah's daughter - Moabites, Ammonnites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods"...and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God...So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. 1 Kings 11:1-6 In these few verses we see unnecessary tragedy. Solomon was said to be the wisest man alive. He was...

WASHINGTON, April 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Former University of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a specially designated terrorist organization, in violation of U.S. law, the Department of Justice announced today. In a closed proceeding before a federal magistrate at U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida last week, Al- Arian pleaded guilty to Count Four of the indictment against him -- a charge of conspiracy to make or receive contributions of funds, goods or services to or for the benefit of...

The Times Showed Up Late to Air America Story Readers of The Times were poorly served by the paper's slowness to cover official investigations into questionable financial transactions involving Air America, the liberal radio network. The Times's first article on the investigations finally appeared last Friday after weeks of articles by other newspapers in New York and elsewhere. [ snip ] There's another reason to get to the bottom of the scandal. It's the perception problem — a perception of liberal bias for which I haven't found any evidence after checking with editors at the paper.

Contents IntroductionWhat is the PSM/ISM?ISM Rewriting History ACT NOW! - OPPOSE GOOGLE'S PLAN Automatically send emails opposing Google's planSign a petition Introduction According to Lee Kaplan, writing for FrontPageMagazine.com: The Internet giant Google will give news agency status to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), according to an anonymous source at Google. If true, the ISM—an affiliate of the anarchist/communist wing of the PLO—would be on par with professional news services such as CNN, Fox, and Associated Press. … The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the Palestinian Solidarity Movement (PSM) are related and interconnected organizations that have one goal: the...

Increasing Liberal Anger Over Air America Coverage Misplaced Anger Killing The Messengers, Plus Other Air America Updates Increasingly bent-out-of-shape Liberals are reacting with rage over Air America's corporate meltdown. Are they mad at Air America Radio, for not yet repaying nearly $900,000 in taxpayer funds, improperly received from the Bronx-based Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club? Or for their terrible public relations mishandling of the scandal? Nope, instead, angry lefties would rather blame everything on Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt and yours truly. And, they've started a campaign to dominate the comments section of my site, in apparent retaliation for kicking...

Everybody's heard them: Dad's favorite sayings, phrases, words of wisdom, philosophies, etc. They're funny, wise, annoying, and sometimes just plain goofy, but they've stuck with us through the years, and remind us of the man who taught us how to be adults. So what's your favorite "dadism"? Here's a few of mine:Just do it. It'll keep your mom happy.Keep your eye on the ball.Always be willing to learn. No one can ever take knowledge away from you.THE BRAKE'S ON THE LEFT!!!!

LOS ANGELES (AP) - High-quality, universal preschool for all 4-year-olds in California would generate $2.62 in benefits for every public dollar spent, according to a new economic analysis released Tuesday by the Rand Corp. The cost-benefits study by the Santa Monica-based think tank estimated average annual costs of $1.7 billion for universal preschool would be offset in the long-term by a reduction in the high school graduation dropout rate, less juvenile crime and a more productive work force. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which advocates voluntary preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds in California by 2013, funded the study....

Iran warned yesterday that it would decisively confront "any unwise move" by the US, the news agency IRNA reported. "We will rely on our popular support, diplomatic capacities and military strength, and decisively confront any unwise US move in Iran," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi told IRNA. The spokesman was referring to perceived military threats by US President George W. Bush in a television interview on Monday. "We however consider these moves as a psychological war and political pressure by radical US circles and the neo-conservative wing," Assefi added. On US secretary of state-designate Condoleezza Rice's classification of Iran as...

NO POLITICAL BIAS--none at all.Is CBS wise to insist that there was no political bias involved? So says the independent panel that CBS News asked to find out what went wrong with its infamous Sixty Minutes Wednesday broadcast concerning George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard. "The panel," says its 224-page report, "cannot conclude that a political agenda at 60 Minutes drove the . . . segment." Why not? Certainly the panel could have drawn that conclusion had it uncovered "smoking gun" evidence--such as an anti-Bush or pro-John Kerry email written by, say, the producer, Mary Mapes....

I am not writing to quarrel with your judgment about the war in Iraq. Rather, I am writing to protest your attitude toward the war. And the point I want to make is this: sometimes, you have to choose between proving yourself to have been right, or helping make a project succeed despite your opposition to it. Since all our tempers are running hot, it might be best to illustrate my point with a non-political example: Imagine that a husband and wife are planning their vacation. One wants to spend it on the beach at Puerto Vallarta, and the other...

President George W. Bush is the very first President to hold a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Even better (or worse, depending on your perspective), his MBA is from Harvard Business School, where postgraduate management training was invented in the early part of the last century, and which to many stands as a symbol of the good, the bad, and the ugly faces of modern management. Harvard MBA’s indisputably lead more major corporations, receive higher starting salaries fresh out of school, and carry with them more élan and glamour than the graduates of any rival business schools – facts which...

Click HERE to see a flyer with more information on David's new book.  In January 2004, President Bush delivered his annual State of the Union address. He reviewed the victories of the past two years in Afghanistan and Iraq, and assessed the war tasks ahead. Homeland security was prominent on the president’s agenda and its cornerstone was the Patriot Act, which Congress had passed in 2001 just after the World Trade Center attack. When the president came to the point in his address where he intended to ask legislators to renew the Act, there was an unscripted moment in...

Democrats' imam supported al-Arian Chaplain who gave benediction was character witness to terror supporter The Muslim imam who gave a closing benediction at the Democratic National Convention in Boston also served as a character witness to Sami al-Arian, the Florida professor indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on 50 counts of terror-related charges. On the second day of the Democratic National Convention, Imam Yahya Hendi said the closing prayer of the night with some verses from the Quran. Yet, last July, the 9-11 commission heard testimony from terrorism expert Steven Emerson that Hendi, one of the top Islamic clerics in...

supported al-Arian This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39701 Thursday, July 29, 2004 Democrats' imam supported al-ArianChaplain who gave benediction was character witness to terror supporter Posted: July 29, 20049:20 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com The Muslim imam who gave a closing benediction at the Democratic National Convention in Boston also served as a character witness to Sami al-Arian, the Florida professor indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on 50 counts of terror-related charges. On the second day of the Democratic National Convention, Imam Yahya Hendi said the closing prayer of...

Insight on the News - National Issue: 03/02/04 Special Report Saffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects By Kenneth R. Timmerman The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both parties by generously contributing to their election campaigns, from California libertarian Rep....

President George W. Bush is the very first President to hold a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Even better (or worse, depending on your perspective), his MBA is from Harvard Business School, where postgraduate management training was invented in the early part of the last century, and which to many stands as a symbol of the good, the bad, and the ugly faces of modern management. Harvard MBAs indisputably lead more major corporations, receive higher starting salaries fresh out of school, and carry with them more élan and glamour than the graduates of any rival business schools – facts which...

Document: Al-Arian was FBI informant 4/6/2004 A former professor accused of raising money for a Palestinian terrorist group was briefly an FBI informant. That's according to court documents recently filed by federal prosecutors. Sami Al-Arian is accused of using a Palestinian charity and an academic think tank as a front for raising money for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The new disclosure comes in the government's response to defense attorneys' attempts to gain access to more evidence in the federal racketeering case against Al-Arian and three other men. Al-Arian is a former professor at the University of South Florida. Al-Arian's attorneys...

Official: Kerry failed to act on pre-9/11 tip 3rd agent to say he warned security lapses made Boston airport ripe for 'jihad' attack WASHINGTON - A third federal aviation-security agent, one still with the government, has stepped forward to say he also warned Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry about security lapses at Boston's Logan International Airport before the 9/11 hijackings there. Earlier this week, two former FAA agents said the Democratic presidential hopeful failed to take effective action after they gave him a prophetic warning that his home airport was vulnerable to multiple hijackings. Brian Sullivan, a retired special agent from...

Special ReportSaffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects Posted Feb. 23, 2004 By Kenneth R. Timmerman Saffuri (above) has formed relationships with several questionable allies, including Sami al-Arian, who was arrested last year. The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both...

Each year we must be refreshed in our logic concerning the wrapping of gifts. This is, of course, for the Brothers of our group. The Women will already know these things and can attest to their veracity. This is the time of year when we think back to the very first Christmas when the Three Wise Men, Gaspar, Balthazar, and Herb, went to see the baby Jesus, and according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh." These are simple words; but if we analyze them carefully, we discover an important, yet often-overlooked, theological fact:...

Timeline of events in the investigation into Sami Al-Arian By The Associated Press - 1975: Sami Al-Arian, a Kuwait-born Palestinian, arrives in the United States from Egypt at age 17 to study engineering at Southern Illinois University. He later earns a doctorate in engineering from North Carolina State University. - Jan. 27, 1986: Sami Al-Arian is hired by the University of South Florida College of Engineering. - Oct. 20, 1988: Al-Arian incorporates the Islamic Concern Project, an umbrella organization that includes the Islamic Committee for Palestine, a charity devoted to Palestinian causes. - Feb. 21, 1991: Al-Arian incorporates the World...

Canada's intelligence service has warned police that members of one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the Middle East may try to infiltrate Canada to set up a support base, a newly released report reveals. The report says the discovery of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fundraising network in Florida "raises the possibility of PIJ elements crossing the border to develop a similar infrastructure in Canada." It also claims Iran and Syria have provided money, training and safe haven to the radical Palestinian group, responsible for a wave of suicide bombings in Israel. Marked "For Police and Security Officials' Use...

STATEHOUSE UPDATE To the surprise of few, two governors who have been mired in controversy announced last week that they would not seek re-election in ’04. Democrat Robert Wise of West Virginia and Republican Judy Martz of Montana both cited their need to deal with personal troubles as the chief reason for standing down. Wise had recently admitted an extramarital affair. Martz conceded she had cared for and washed the clothes of her top policy adviser after he crashed a car, killing the state house majority leader. She harbored him overnight without calling the police. Montana’s first woman governor, however,...

Wise Not Running; Democrat vultures will begin circling the carcass but Republicans have already stepped forward CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Bob Wise announced today to selected cabinet heads and gubernatorial area representatives from his office that he will not seek reelection in 2004. “No doubt the vultures in the Democratic Party who have been circling the body and waiting for the Governor’s dying gasp will now go in for the kill and line up to take his place,” said state GOP Chairman Kris Warner. “The Republican candidates have already stepped up and let the people know they are ready to...

Wise: 'I was not faithful' Chris Stirewalt <cstire@dailymail.com> Daily Mail Staff Jim Wallace <jimw@dailymail.com> Daily Mail staff Monday May 12, 2003; 01:07 PM Gov. Bob Wise released a statement today saying he was "not faithful to my family" after his office was asked about allegations that he had been implicated in the divorce case of a woman who works in the state development office. "Several weeks ago, I had to do the toughest thing I have ever done -- tell my family I had not lived up to their trust, expectation and love. I was not faithful to my family,"...

CLARKSBURG -- About 200 Republican Party supporters attended the annual Lincoln Day fund-raising dinner Saturday night in Clarksburg. It was the first time in several years the fund-raiser had been in Clarksburg, said Dick Laughlin, chair of the Harrison County Republican Executive Committee. Laughlin and other GOP officials were encouraged by the heavy attendance Saturday. The event sold out. "The Republican Party is back and kicking again in Harrison County," Laughlin said. The dinner's guest speaker, former Gov. Arch Moore, agreed. Moore noted the GOP has made several advances in the last few elections, both statewide and nationally. The party...

News conference to start shortly...

Fox News just reported that the FBI has made arrests of terror suspects in Tampa, Chicago, and overseas. Fox also reports this could be related to this morning's arrest of the Pali professor in Florida.

They look like children. When they appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court last Wednesday (May 10) to enter their pleas on charges that they gang-raped and attempted to murder a jogger in Central Park, Raymond Santana, 14, Kevin Richardson, 14, Steve Lopez, 15, Antron McCray, 15, Yusef Salaam, 15, and Kharey Wise, 16, did not look savage, or cruel, or capable of committing what prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer has called ''one of the most vicious and brutal crimes in the history of New York.'' If they had gone ''wilding'' -- a new street term for running amok -- they now looked terribly...

The Presidency of Ronald Reagan: Finally Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due....... October 6, 2002: For many years now, Ronald Reagan has served as the ideological whipping boy of the intellectual left. Despite all of the ex-president's many accomplishments -- including paving the way for the emergence of democracy and freedom in Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe -- the scholastic princes of the academy have only been capable of reasserting one warmed-over theory over and over again: Ronald Reagan was stupid, and so everything he did while in office was stupid. Fortunately, of late, the tide seems to be swinging in Ronald...

Chicago, Il, November 3,1995 ...The new leader of an Islamic terrorist organization ran an Islamic studies think tank at the University of South Florida (USF) about which the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) had raised serious concerns with university officials. Ramadan Abdallah became the leader of Islamic Jihad for Palestine, a known terrorist group that has taken responsibility for the killing of dozens of Israelis, after the assassination in Malta of Fathi Shikaki. Mr. Abdallah was the Administrative Director of the World Islam and Studies Enterprise (WISE), a think tank of the Islamic Committee for Palestine (ICP). ADL has been monitoring the ...

Contentment Ironic isn’t it? We live in the country that is the most prosperous in human history yet at the same time our country is filled with people struggling to find contentment. No doubt the media has a vested interest in stirring our need to have more and improved “things.” Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous thrived in the TV ratings race for years by tempting us with images of people who have amassed wealth and fame. And in doing so they taught us that contentment comes through acquisitions and accomplishments. We bought it. Unfortunately, if the truth were known,...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Budd Co., one of Philadelphia's major employers for much of the 20th century, announced Friday that it is closing its last auto-parts plant in the city. About 600 people work at the plant in Philadelphia's Hunting Park neighborhood that makes metal stampings and assemblies such as roofs, doors, fenders, tailgates, lift gates and body side panels. Many of the workers are longtime employees who are eligible for retirement, the company said. The company said it has excess manufacturing capacity at its Detroit and Philadelphia plants and plans...

<p>The Clinton administration shut down a 1995 investigation of Islamic charities, concerned that a public probe would expose Saudi Arabia's suspected ties to a global money-laundering operation that raised millions for anti-Israel terrorists, federal officials told The Washington Times.</p> <p>Law enforcement authorities and others close to the aborted investigation said the State Department pressed federal officials to pull agents off the previously undisclosed probe after the charities were targeted in the diversion of cash to groups that fund terrorism.</p>

In 1995, after a suicide bombing operation carried out by Palestinian Islamic Jihad killed 21 Israeli soldiers, University of South Florida computer science professor Sami Al-Arian wrote a fund-raising letter in which he "call(s) upon you to try to extend true support to the jihad effort in Palestine so that operations such as these can continue." Many of Al-Arian's past statements and associations have raised suspicions that he was involved with terrorist organizations based in the Middle East. However, the fund-raising letter signed by al-Arian, shown during the Oct. 28 telecast of NBC's Dateline, is direct evidence of his ...

Bomber's Leader Lived In TampaBy MICHAEL FECHTER mfechter@tampatrib.comPublished: Jun 6, 2002 The man claiming responsibility for Wednesday's deadly suicide attack on an Israeli bus spent four years living in Tampa and taught Middle East Studies to University of South Florida students. Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Shallah said the attack, which killed at least 16 people, was meant to mark the 35th anniversary of the Six Day War that began Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Shallah worked as administrative director for a think tank called the World and Islam Studies Enterprise in Tampa from 1991 to...