"A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished."   Proverbs 22:3 and Proverbs 27:12  KJV   Word study on this verse

'Brokeback Mountain' Gets 8 Oscar Nods news.yahoo.com 1/31/6 ["With key prizes at earlier Hollywood honors, "Brokeback Mountain" heads into the March 5 awards as the best-picture front-runner, potentially the first film with explicit gay themes to claim the grand prize at the Oscars."]
Pope: "Democracy Without Values Easily Turns Into Open Or Thinly Disguised Totalitarianism" lifesite.net 1/31/6 ["In the essay, "Same-Sex 'Marriage,' 'Hate Crimes,' and the New Totalitarianism," O'Brien noted that hundreds of new laws are proliferating a climate of legalism that is "directed not at criminals but at the moral structure of private life." The new laws, far from protecting citizens against unjust discrimination, are to be "wielded as a cudgel to intimidate those who simply disagree with (the ideology) and to punish those who are outspoken about it."  O'Brien writes, "In just over one generation we have been shifted from a society in which homosexual acts were a crime under the then existing law, to a society in which homosexual acts have become a government-protected and fostered activity, while voicing criticism of it 'publicly' has become the crime. Call it by any name you like, but this is Thought Crime." "]
Putin Boasts of New Missile's Capability news.yahoo.com 1/31/6 ["...were capable of carrying nuclear warheads. He wouldn't say whether the Russian military already had commissioned any such missiles.  ...Putin said he had shown the working principles of the missile system to French President Jacques Chirac during a visit to a Russian military facility. "He knows what I'm talking about," Putin said.   In April 2004, Chirac became the first Western leader to visit Russia's top-secret Titov space control center, which controls all of its satellites and is involved in launching its intercontinental ballistic missiles."]
Be Nobody’s Valentine lasttrumpetministries.org 1/31/6 ["Christians should be known by their discernment and should be asking questions regarding Valentine’s Day. What is the origin of this unusual day? Why is there a preoccupation with the color red? Where did the heart shape come from, and what does it mean? These and other questions will now be answered, as we examine the roots and pagan origin of this popular day."]
New Patriot Act Provision Creates Tighter Barrier to Officials at Public Events foxnews.com 1/31/6 ["would allow authorities to haul demonstrators at any "special event of national significance" away to jail on felony charges if they are caught breaching a security perimeter."]
White House eyes billions for Iraq maintenance washtimes.com 1/31/6 ["The Bush administration is considering asking Congress later this year for at least $2 billion in new reconstruction money, primarily for maintaining completed Iraqi facilities.   ...The money would come in an Iraqi emergency, or supplemental, appropriations bill that also would finance military operations, which cost about $6 billion a month. Congress attached an extra $50 billion to this year's Pentagon spending bill for that purpose, but officials say additional money likely will be needed."]
Savings Rate Lowest Since Great Depression breitbart.com 1/31/6 [" Soaring home prices apparently have convinced people they don't have to worry about saving, a belief that could be seriously tested as 78 million baby boomers begin to retire.  The Commerce Department reported Monday that Americans' personal savings fell into negative territory at minus 0.5 percent last year. That means that people not only spent all of their after-tax income last year but had to dip into previous savings or increase their borrowing. "]
 

UN unveils plan to release untapped wealth of...$7 trillion (and solve the world's problems at a stroke) news.independent.co.uk 1/30/6 ["The most potent threats to life on earth - global warming, health pandemics, poverty and armed conflict - could be ended by moves that would unlock $7 trillion ...of previously untapped wealth, the United Nations claims today.  ...The price? An admission that the nation-state is an old-fashioned concept that has no role to play in a modern globalised world where financial markets have to be harnessed rather than simply condemned.  ...unveiled at a gathering of world business leaders at the Swiss ski resort of Davos"]
'Landmark' Book Offers Financial Tools to Manage Global Risks usnewswire.com 1/30/6 [""The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges" presents how, through using creative, incentive-based tools, governments could respond in a more affordable and sustainable way to international challenges such as avian flu, terrorism, and climate change."]
Australia Pro-Life Group Seeks Church Help Against RU 486 Abortion Drug lifenews.com 1/30/6 ["The drug is not banned in Australia but requires approval from pro-life Health Minister Tony Abbott before it can be used. Abbot, after consulting with the nation's top doctor last year, declined approving it.  Pro-abortion MPs are sponsoring legislation that would transfer the decision-making from Abbott to the Therapeutic Goods Administration and another measure requiring the drug to be approved.  A parliament committee has been studying the issue and has received about 5,000 letters so far. All but about 150 of them are from pro-life advocates who oppose the abortion drug.  A vote on the pro-abortion plan is slated for February"]
Watchdog warns of risks in IVF embryo testing telegraph.co.uk 1/30/6 ["It is feared that babies born after screening to "weed out" embryos with genetic defects could suffer long-term effects. This week, the commission will call for follow-up studies of all children born after such tests in order to ensure the safety of future generations."]
Google Holds Copies of All Emails and All Websites Visited lifesite.net 1/30/6 ["The dangers inherent in granting governments any authority to monitor and censor the internet for a very real good, could at the same time lend government authority to exclude legitimate material expressing valid viewpoints from the public square. As Canada and other countries pass so-called hate-crimes legislation making it illegal to, for example, condemn homosexual activity as evil, these measures could lead to censorship or worse."]
Israel freezes Palestinian funds abc.net.au 1/30/6 ["Israel's interim Prime Minister says his government has decided to freeze funds to the Palestinian Authority, fearing the money could end up aiding terrorist elements.  Two million shekels ($46 million) were due to be handed over to the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday. "]
Palestinian constitution allows for Hamas-led impeachment of Abbas jpost.com 1/30/6 ["The "Third Draft of the Constitution of the State of Palestine" states that such a move would be possible if it is proposed by at least two-thirds of the members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.  ...Hamas has always referred to the Oslo Accords as an act of treason and some leaders have openly called for putting those Palestinians who negotiated and signed the deal with Israel on trial for "high treason.""]
Hamas faces EU threat to cut Palestinian aid reuters.com 1/30/6 ["The European Union could not fund a Hamas-run Palestinian Authority if it did not renounce violence and recognize Israel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Israel on Sunday.  It was the most explicit threat to cut aid from Europe, the biggest donor to the Palestinians, since Islamic militant group Hamas won a shock victory in parliamentary elections last week. The United States has also threatened to block funding."]
 

Ang Lee Honored As Filmmaker of the Year news.yahoo.com 1/29/6 ["The most lauded movie of 2005 added another honor to its list Saturday.  Ang Lee was named filmmaker of the year by his peers, winning the Directors Guild of America award for the epic romance "Brokeback Mountain."  ...Spielberg, who has earned 10 guild nominations, characterized the year's nominated feature films as "the most courageous" of any he's competed against."]
UK rejects abortion review news.com.au 1/29/6 ["THE British government today rejected calls to tighten Britain's abortion laws after a poll showed a majority of women want changes to make it harder to end a pregnancy.  A MORI poll in today's Observer newspaper showed 47 per cent of British women think the legal limit for abortion should be cut from 24 weeks and 10 per cent think it should be outlawed."]
Army forces 50,000 soldiers into extended duty news.yahoo.com 1/29/6 ["The policy applies to soldiers in units due to deploy for the
Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Army said stop-loss is vital to maintain units that are cohesive and ready to fight. But some experts said it shows how badly the Army is stretched and could further complicate efforts to attract new recruits."]
UN may use 'flu-casters' if pandemic hits cnn.com 1/29/6 ["The United Nations is considering using "flu-casters," modeled on television weather forecasters, to publicize vital information if a global flu pandemic strikes.  They could broadcast latest developments from emergency-response facilities at the U.N.'s World Health Organization in Geneva, according to David Nabarro, the U.N.'s top influenza coordinator.  ...Nabarro was speaking as the United Nations analyzed results from a top-level catastrophe simulation to set policies that envisage governments, companies and the media working together to fight a global flu pandemic.  ...One of the most important conclusions was that maintaining infrastructure -- water, power and the provision of food -- could take a higher priority than providing care to the sick, Nabarro told Reuters. "]
Books & Ideas: Torture and terrorism: The ticking bomb theory iht.com 1/29/6 ["Torture is the refuge of the lazy, the stupid, the pseudotough. Real intelligence services don't have to torture; they are intelligent enough to learn the prisoner's language and culture. Why would a tortured man tell you the truth? He will say anything to stop the pain."]
TV Execs Hope 'Telenovelas' Translate news.yahoo.com 1/29/6 ["Bob Cook, president of Twentieth Television, believes the time is right to see whether the popular Latin American telenovela format can be adapted for an American, English-speaking audience.  ...Telenovelas are essentially superheated soap operas, brimming with lust, deceit, lust, high emotion, attractive actors who work with little clothing and — did we mention it? — lust."]
Preparing For Global Governance Crisis newswithviews.com 1/29/6 ["There are good times and there are bad times. Our grandparents and great-grandparents knew this, and they were better prepared than we are today. Our mechanical skills are weak. Our building and maintenance skills are weak. Our ability to provide without credit cards, malls, and expensive repair services is all but non-existent. We need to heed the experiences of our ancestors for the times of excess and over-spending are over.  ...We live in a different world though many citizens are still denying the vast changes that have taken place in our nation. It is my belief that within the next year or two, unimaginable changes are going to take place on American soil. Those who remain debt-ridden and over-extended will find life the most difficult."]
Mexico Army Likely Part of Border Incident forbes.com 1/29/6 ["West said the determination that the equipment was military-issue came from the federal government, but he wouldn't elaborate. A U.S. Army spokesman said he could not confirm West's statement, and the Mexican Foreign Relations Department said it would have no comment. "]
India is darling of World Economic Forum usatoday.com 1/29/6 ["India's booming economy is growing at about 7% annually, and Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told a VIP audience of the world's business leaders that the government was aiming for growth of 8% to 10%.  ...semiconductor manufacturing "is really the kind of manufacturing which we want ... because we believe that one job created in manufacturing generates three jobs in services.""]
Olmert Rules Out Working With Palestinians abcnews.go.com 1/29/6 ["Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that Israel won't have any contacts with the Palestinians unless Hamas disarms and recognizes Israel.  The Islamic militant group, which has been responsible for dozens of suicide bombings on Israelis and has long called for the destruction of the Jewish state, won 74 of the 132 seats in legislative elections Wednesday. Hamas leaders have vowed since the balloting to continue the "resistance." "]
 

Washington State OKs Gay Civil Rights Law ap.org 1/28/6 [""History is going to look kindly upon the legislators who had the courage to vote for this," said Rep. Dave Upthegrove, who cried when the bill passed the House. "It's a great day for equality, for fairness."  First introduced in the 1970s, the measure adds "sexual orientation" to a state law that bans discrimination in housing, employment and insurance, making Washington the 17th state passing a law covering gays and lesbians. It is the seventh to protect transgender people."]
Iran warns of missile strike guardian.co.uk 1/28/6 ["Senior Iranian officials further raised tensions with the West yesterday, implicitly warning that Tehran would use missiles to strike Israel or Western forces stationed in the Gulf if attacked.  ...For the moment, Iran's most powerful weapon is the Shahab-3 missile, which can strike more than 2,000km from their launch site, putting Israel and American forces in the Middle East in easy range."]
Proposed Pentagon cuts to face opposition seattlepi.nwsource.com 1/28/6 ["President Bush will use his new budget to propose cutting the size of the Army Reserve to its lowest level in three decades and stripping up to $4 billion next year from two fighter aircraft programs.  ...Because of recruiting and other problems, the Army Reserve has been unable to fill its ranks to its authorized level.  Army leaders have already said they are taking a similar approach to shrinking the National Guard, which the Army is proposing to cut from its authorized level of 350,000 soldiers to 333,000, the number now on National Guard rolls."]
Brain Scans May Be Used As Lie Detectors news.yahoo.com 1/28/6 ["That's where I had my brain-scan interrogation. But this lab isn't alone. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have also reported impressive accuracy through brain-scanning recently. California entrepreneur Joel T. Huizenga plans to use that work to start offering lie-detecting services in Philadelphia this July.  His outfit, No Lie MRI Inc., will serve government agencies and "anybody that wants to demonstrate that they're telling the truth," he said."]
 

Nearly 2,000 people gather at UN to remember Holocaust victims un.org 1/27/6 ["The Secretary-General invoked the day’s theme – “remembrance and beyond” – and urged all to “pledge ourselves to even greater efforts to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity.”"]
Berlin to Build Memorial to Gays Persecuted by Nazis dw-world.de 1/27/6 ["the structure, which appears cool and distant at first glance actually conceals an intimate aspect -- it will have an oblique window featuring a black and white video of "an endless kiss between two men."  ...The decision to go ahead with the project was taken three years after the German parliament agreed to set up a memorial for murdered gays that would also serve as a visible stand against intolerance and isolation."]
Major Earthquake Hits Off Indonesian Coast news.yahoo.com 1/27/6 ["Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location atop a volcanically active region known as the Pacific "Ring of Fire.""]
Illinois Bills Would Overturn Blagojevich Rule on Pharmacists, Morning After Pill lifenews.com 1/27/6 ["Lawmakers in the Illinois state legislature have introduced three separate bills that would overturn a mandate put in place by Gov. Rod Blagojevich that forces pharmacists there to dispense any legal drug, such as the morning after pill. His rule has resulted in the firing of pro-life pharmacists who don't want to give out drugs that can cause abortions."]
Florida Measure to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research Fails in Cmte lifenews.com 1/27/6 ["Florida will not likely become the next state to spend taxpayer money funding unproven embryonic stem cell research. A state House committee on Wednesday voted to take no action on a bill that would spend $150 million over 10 years on the research that has yet to cure a single patient."]
Survey: More Parents Playing Video Games news.yahoo.com 1/27/6 ["Thirty-five percent, or about one in three parents, say they play, too, and 80 percent of that segment play video games with their children, according to the new survey commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry group."]
 

Vermont judge imposes 3-10 year sentence for sex offender boston.com 1/26/6 ["A Vermont judge facing intense criticism for the 60-day jail sentenced he gave an admitted child molester changed his mind Thursday and increased the sentence to a minimum of three years."]
As exports surge, China's economy said to grow 9.9% boston.com 1/26/6 ["The rapid expansion appears to move China's economy ahead of those of Great Britain, France, and Italy to become the world's fourth largest, although many countries have yet to report their final 2005 economic data."]
UK to deploy 4,150 extra troops to Afghanistan guardian.co.uk 1/26/6 ["Mr Reid said the "potent" UK force, which will include attack helicopters, would briefly peak at 5,700, falling to less than 4,700 when the engineers had finished their work."]
Top U.S. General Says Army 'Stretched' abcnews.go.com 1/26/6 ["Casey told reporters he had discussed whether troops were stretched too thin with Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker on Wednesday and that the Army chief of staff believes he can still sustain missions around the world. Casey, too, was adamant that the troops, including more than 130,000 in Iraq, were getting the job done."]
Soros: Gas a wake-up for Europe cnn.com 1/26/6 ["Russia's political use of its growing power as a gas exporter should serve as a wake-up call for a Europe growing more dependent on Russian energy imports, U.S. billionaire fund manager George Soros said Wednesday.  ...The country produces one of every 10 barrels of oil in the world. It is the world's No. 2 crude exporter after Saudi Arabia, with supplies going mainly to Europe.  Russia's crude exports of up to 5 million barrels per day cover more than a quarter of Europe's oil needs."]
Bush 'Reluctant' to Bail Out Automakers washingtonpost.com 1/26/6 ["the two companies plan to cut about 60,000 jobs over the next few years and there is concern on Wall Street that one or both could wind up seeking bankruptcy protection."]
 

Senators object to morning prayer on abortion, evolution journalstar.com 1/25/6 ["'Open our eyes to see that we’ve killed 47 million young American taxpayers, and indeed Social Security is in crisis. Open our eyes to see that 47 million of our countrymen and women are gone — doctors, lawyers, inventors, authors, musicians and artists.'   ...asked God to forgive people in the state for teaching evolution, which he described as a “religion that tells us that we are only here by chance; that we are here for no reason and human life means nothing more than any other life...”"]
Super Bowl; Super Security detnews.com 1/25/6 ["The FBI and Detroit Police will open one of the largest security operations in U.S. history, guarding against any threats to Super Bowl XL and aided by more than 50 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Including private security guards, there will be upward of 10,000 security personnel on duty in Detroit for the Super Bowl, rivaling the security for any other one-day event in U.S. history and on a scale with a presidential inauguration, the FBI says, capping 18 months of intensive preparations."]
California Gov Schwarzenegger: Voters Should Decide Assisted Suicide lifenews.com 1/25/6 ["I don't think 120 legislators and I should make the decision. I think the people should make the decision, and whatever that is, that is what it ought to be," the governor said at an appearance at the Sacramento Press Club.  ...Dr. Steven Pantilat, director of the palliative care service at UC-San Francisco Medical Center, told the News that a patient who asks about assisted suicide is someone who needs better treatment, not help killing himself.  "If you treat someone's pain and depression, the requests for physician-assisted suicide go way down,'' he said. "That's what the research shows.''"]
At N.S.A. Headquarters, Bush Says Surveillance Program Is Necessary nytimes.com 1/25/6 ["He said the effort was well-grounded legally and constitutionally and that it should be referred to as "surveillance" rather than spying. He also said it should not even be considered "domestic," because one party to each monitored call or e-mail message had to be abroad. It is no more accurate to call those communications "domestic," he said, than it would be to apply that term to phone calls from the United States to another country."  Editor: hogwash]
Ex-Homosexual Ministry Leader: Brokeback Mountain May Be Tip of the Iceberg agapepress.org 1/25/6 [""They don't point to the truth that homosexuality is a very difficult lifestyle," Chambers says. "It's one full of desperation and devastation and heartache. And the great thing is there are men and women who have overcome that lifestyle. That's something I wish was more talked about in the mainstream media.""]
Toronto condo aimed at gay, lesbian community 1/25/6 ["called The Bohemian   ...Similar projects are planned for Los Angeles, Boston and Portland, Oregon, but are largely focused on the elderly gay and lesbian population."]
 

Tragic: U.S. passed 47 million mark for abortions in 2005 Jan 20, 2006 worthynews.com 1/24/6 ["the United States has witnessed more than 1 million abortions each year.  ...only 1 percent of women said their abortion was the consequence of rape, and less than 1 percent cited incest. Eighty-six percent said they were having an abortion for the sake of convenience -- either they weren't ready for a child (25 percent), they said they couldn't afford to have one (23 percent), they didn't want any more children (19 percent), they didn't want to be a single mother or had relationship problems (8 percent), they said they were too young to have a child (7 percent) or they believed a child would interfere with their education or career (4 percent). "]
Full Address of President Bush to March for Life lifesite.net 1/24/6 [Editor: If this President is 'supposedly' 'Christian', and against abortion, why does he go through great pains to beat around the politically-correct bush in this speech?  Super vague and ambiguous.  He said the Declaration of Independence was the basis for the principles guiding the 'right-to-life' fight, not the Bible!]
NBC pulls the plug on 'Book of Daniel' wnd.com 1/24/6 ["One NBC affiliate after another dropped the show. Advertisers ran from it. And, apparently, despite all the controversy it generated, so did viewers."]
AOL Music launches gay music site reuters.co.uk 1/24/6 ["AOL Music has launched a site called "G-Sides, Music for the GLBT Community," which it says features "the gay and lesbian artists we love.""]
Al Gore to publish book on global warming in April reuters.co.uk 1/24/6 ["Many scientists say global warming is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and will cause more intense storms, droughts and floods. Current levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are higher now than at any time in the past 650,000 years, research from Antarctic ice cores shows."]
Canada Opens First “Hogwarts” Witchcraft School lifesite.net 1/24/6 ["The new school, Northern Star College of Mystical Studies, is compared to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter books by a CanWest News Service report. The school offers diploma and two-year certificate programs, open to adults only. The school teaches potions, astrology, tarot, hypnotherapy, divination, magic and other occult practices, among other subjects.  “Harry Potter starts to get everybody curious about the mystic inside of them,” admitted Catherine Potter, a hypnotherapist and professional astrologer who teaches at the school."]
Court rules home worship OK wnd.com 1/24/6 ["County barred rabbi from holding services at his house"]
 

Demonstrators Mark Roe V. Wade Anniversary ap.org 1/23/6 [""]
SD Legislature To Consider Abortion Ban keloland.com 1/23/6 ["The bill will be called the Woman's Health and Life Protection Act. It will ban abortion, but won't prosecute a doctor who performs one to save a woman's life."]
Police to Activate Surveillance Cameras wjla.com 1/23/6 ["for the annual anti-abortion rally."]
Ford to slash up to 30,000 jobs news.bbc.co.uk 1/23/6 ["The cuts, representing nearly a quarter of its North American workforce"]
ISRA: Gov. Blagojevich to Announce Election Year Plan to End Competitive Shooting and Gun Collecting in Illinois usnewswire.com 1/23/6 ["Claims that HB2414 is a crime fighting measure are unfounded as the bill bans firearm types rarely used to commit crimes while, at the same time, ignoring the criminal use of firearms. In short, HB2414 benefits nobody -- except Gov. Blagojevich whose flagging poll numbers have prompted him to take desperate measures to prove that he is "doing something" about crime other than committing crimes himself."]
RF-IDing the dead news.zdnet.com 1/23/6 ["Gary Hargrove, coroner of Mississippi's Harrison County, began injecting radio frequency identification (RFID) chips into cadavers to cope with the mounting body count. He said the chips, supplied by a Florida company called VeriChip, helped the county identify and return storm victims to their families without mix-ups. The county also injected the chips into bodies dislodged from graves during flooding."]
 

On abortion, a million wrongs don't make a right mcall.com 1/22/6 ["Some might call this ''argument by scenario'': telling a story that ties two unrelated topics together and then using the same story as ''proof'' they are related."]
Michael Schiavo Remarries cbsnews.com 1/22/6 ["Michael Schiavo has called Centonze his fiancee for more than five years, relatives said. They have two young children. "]
Plant Closings, Job Cuts Loom at Ford news.yahoo.com 1/22/6 ["hurt by falling sales of sport utility vehicles, is expected to close plants and cut thousands of jobs in North America as part of a restructuring program to be announced Monday.  ...The No. 2 U.S. automaker has been hurt by falling sales of its profitable sport utility vehicles, growing health care and materials costs and labor contracts that have limited its ability to close plants and cut jobs."]
Pro-Life Advocates Mourn Roe v. Wade Abortion Decision With Events lifenews.com 1/22/6 ["Fifteen thousand pro-life supporters filled the streets along San Francisco's waterfront for more than a mile, walking behind a banner that proclaimed “Abortion Hurts Women.”"  Editor: Abortion kills children - if you minimize that fact, you are not discussing the main fact.  Innocent blood is shed.  Frankly, the woman's suffering is secondary and consequential.]
  Blast cuts Russian gas supply theaustralian.news.com.au 1/22/6 ["Georgia depends entirely on pipelines from Russia for its gas.  The blasts left it - and its neighbour Armenia, which uses Russian gas imported via Georgia - facing an energy crisis just as unusually cold weather swept the region."]
Thousands march in SF on eve of Roe v Wade anniversary mercurynews.com 1/22/6 ["Walk for Life marchers said the turnout, estimated at nearly the double the 5,000 who came last year, shows widespread support for abolishing abortion -- even in the Bay Area."]
Saudi Arabia May Tap Rising Demand for Oil in China, India bloomberg.com 1/22/6 ["Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, may direct increased output toward China and India as the world's fastest-growing markets compete for supplies."]
 

 Abortion Rights Activists Gather for Annual March for Life wjla.com 1/21/6 ["Thousands are expected to gather for Monday's march at the National Mall and rally outside the Supreme Court."]
 Mayor of Flint, Michigan wants city-run assembly plant news.yahoo.com 1/21/6 ["The aim is to bring much-needed jobs to a town that has sunken even further into despair in the 15 years since film maker Michael Moore documented the first round of plant closures by General Motors...  a scene that is playing out in industrial towns across the nation as manufacturing jobs are shipped to cheaper labor markets overseas. Next week, the despair will spread to more towns when Ford Motor Company announces a slew of plant closures.  ...the private sector ought to be the one developing plants and not the municipality"]
 U.S. Army raises maximum age for enlistment reuters.com 1/21/6 ["The U.S. Army, which missed its fiscal 2005 recruiting goal, said on Wednesday it has raised the maximum enlistment age for new soldiers by five years to 39, greatly expanding its pool of potential recruits."]
 European Bishops Speak Out Against EU’s ‘Homophobia’ Resolution lifesite.net 1/21/6 ["The EU’s adoption of the resolution showed “an aversion for certain values of our tradition, notably religious values,” said Aldo Giordano.  ”It should be clear that certain subjects, especially those relating to the family, are not within the direct competence of the European Union but are the recognized competence of nations. Such resolutions risk de-legitimizing the European Parliament.""]
 Saint Defends Casting of Homosexual Actor in Christian Missionary's Story agapepress.org 1/21/6 ["End of the Spear, which opens in theaters tomorrow (Friday, January 20), tells the story of five young Christian missionaries, pilot Nate Saint among them...  Playing the role of both Saints, father and son, in the film is Chad Allen, an openly homosexual stage and screen star who has spoken publicly on same-sex marriage and other 'gay civil rights' issues."]
 Ang Lee: Asian audiences more accepting of gay subject chinadaily.com.cn 1/21/6 ["Lee said acceptance of gays needs to happen over time.  "It takes education, gradually getting used to it (homosexuality), for us to become more civilized. I got used to it slowly too," he said. "]
 Fury as euthanasia group puts dignity in new name telegraph.co.uk 1/21/6 ["The name change comes 71 years after the society was set up and follows research showing doctors are involved in as many as eight deaths a day from voluntary or "non-voluntary" euthanasia."]
 Israel preparing action against Iran if diplomacy doesn't work: minister cbc.ca 1/21/6 ["During a trip to Syria last week, Ahmadinejad met with leaders of Islamic Jihad, the group that carried out the bombing, and challenged Europe to take back the Jews who emigrated to Israel. It was the latest in a string of comments questioning Israel's existence. "]
 Oil: Prices near US$69 as Iran talks tough nzherald.co.nz 1/21/6 ["Oil prices surged on Friday to the highest level since September's hurricanes crippled oil output from the Gulf of Mexico, as tensions mounted over Opec-member Iran's nuclear ambitions. "]
Confusion over Iran 'assets move' news.bbc.co.uk 1/21/6 ["The deputy head of Iran's central bank has said that Iran has no plans at the moment to shift its money.  But Iranian news agencies reported on Friday that the bank head had said the state had started to withdraw assets, amid a row over its nuclear programme. "]
 

 Bush leads defense of NSA domestic spying seattlepi.nwsource.com 1/20/6 ["President Bush will visit the ultra-secret National Security Agency on Wednesday, underscoring his claim that he has the constitutional authority to let intelligence officials listen in on international phone calls of Americans with suspected ties to terrorists."]
 Same-sex marriage ban struck down wnd.com 1/20/6 ["A judge in Maryland struck down the state's 33-year-old law banning same-sex marriage in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.  Baltimore trial judge M. Brooke Murdock ruled the law discriminates on the basis of sex, violating the 1972 Maryland Declaration of Rights, referred to as Maryland's Equal Rights Amendment. "]
 Australia Vote on Dangerous RU 486 Abortion Drug Set for February lifenews.com 1/20/6 ["set for February 9. That means abortion practitioners could begin dispensing the drug, which has caused numerous deaths, in a matter of weeks."]
 On the 'sin' of sending kids to public school wnd.com 1/20/6 [""Contrary to what many Christians have been led to believe, there is no such thing as a 'neutral' education," Shortt writes. "All education is religious and conveys a worldview, and there is no more important decision that we make as parents than how we educate our children.""]
 

 EU Passes Resolution Banning “Homophobia” 468 -149 lifesite.net 1/19/6 ["Among other things, the resolution called for action against member states who fail to implement programs directed at fair treatment of homosexuals in employment and occupation, and to “ensure that same-sex partners enjoy the same respect, dignity and protection as the rest of society.”"]
 UK: Doctors broke law to help 3,000 die news.scotsman.com 1/19/6 ["Report reveals as many as one in three patients had deaths accelerated"]
 "Intelligent design" not science: Vatican paper reuters.com 1/19/6 ["The Roman Catholic Church has restated its support for evolution with an article praising a U.S. court decision that rejects the "intelligent design" theory as non-scientific.  The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said that teaching intelligent design -- which argues that life is so complex that it needed a supernatural creator -- alongside Darwin's theory of evolution would only cause confusion."]
 France's Chirac Issues Nuclear Warning abcnews.go.com 1/19/6 ["France could respond with nuclear weapons against any state-sponsored terrorist attack, broadening the terms of French deterrence to adapt to new threats.  The warning came as France works with other Western nations to ensure that Iran does not become a nuclear power, but officials and experts said Chirac's comments were not aimed specifically at Iran. "]
 Hevron: Expulsion Pushed Off, Arrests Continue israelnationalnews.com 1/19/6 ["The IDF/police forces in Hevron have opened the city and it is essentially no longer a closed military zone. Non-residents are permitted to enter. Brutal arrests are continuing, however."]
 Oil jumps $1 on al Qaeda threat, supply concern boston.com 1/19/6 ["Oil prices jumped over $1 to near $67 a barrel on Thursday following threats that al Qaeda was preparing attacks on the United States and supply concerns from crude oil exporters Iran and Nigeria."]
 McClellan: Wait and see on 'gay' egg roll crashers worldnetdaily.com 1/19/6 ["Scott McClellan said today he'd wait and see what more information comes out about a plan by homosexual and bisexual activists to crash the annual White House Easter Egg Roll before commenting."]
 

 Russia Cuts Natural Gas Supplies to Europe as Cold Snap Worsens bloomberg.com 1/18/6 [" State-run Gazprom, which supplies a quarter of the continent's gas, reduced shipments to Hungary by 20 percent today, said Sandor Kantor, a spokesman for Mol Rt., the country's biggest energy company. Eni SpA, Italy's largest gas company, reported a 5.4 percent reduction in Russian gas supplies.  ``This may last for weeks, depending on the weather in Russia,''"]
 Pro-Life Advocates Prepare to Mark 33 Years of Abortion at March for Life lifenews.com 1/18/6 ["Monday, January 23rd"]
 AU: Anti-abortion submissions flood Senate inquiry into RU-486 abc.net.au 1/18/6 ["A Senate inquiry looking into the controversial RU-486 pill has been inundated with about 4,000 submissions most of which oppose use of the so-called abortion pill."]
 Rabbis warn Olmert over Hebron jnewswire.com 1/18/6 ["A group of Israeli rabbis have cautioned Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over his government's sudden rush to curtail Jewish life in Hebron, reminding the stand-in leader of the consequences paid by former premiers who dared to “disengage” from the Land of Israel."]
 Russia in grip of new cold war guardian.co.uk 1/18/6 [""]
 Russia, China speak out against Iran sanctions abc.net.au 1/18/6 ["If sanctions are imposed, Iran has threatened to force world oil prices higher."]
 STMicro to market chip to detect bird flu in humans reuters.com 1/18/6 ["STMicroelectronics said on Wednesday it planned to market a disposable laboratory microchip that can confirm within about an hour a human case of bird flu at a limited cost.  STMicroelectronics said in a statement it was developing the test that could be available to healthcare providers this autumn, "]
 End of an era as Winchester rifle plant prepares to close newsday.com 1/18/6 [""Winchester would be pretty much defunct," he said. "They're not going to produce them, other than a couple custom-type models."  The company has been plagued by slumping firearm sales. More than 19,000 people worked there during World War II, but the plant employs fewer than 200 now. All will lose their jobs when the plant closes."]
 Former Naval Physicist: Government Can Control Hurricanes infowars.com 1/18/6 ["Livingston, now 77, has a master's degree in cloud physics from the Naval Weapons Center and Navy Post Graduate School in California, a degree he later used in the battlefields."]
 

 Greater TA replaces NY as world's largest Jewish city haaretzdaily.com 1/17/6 ["This year will mark the first time in history that there will be as many Jews living in Israel as in the United States, according to statistics presented at a Jewish Policy Planning Institute conference this week. The greater Tel Aviv area has already replaced New York as the city with the most Jews."]
 Redmond pastor urges boycott seattlepi.nwsource.com 1/17/6 ["A pastor has called for a national boycott of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and other companies that have come out in support of a gay civil rights bill"]
 Supreme Court Prohibits Bush Admin. From Limiting Assisted Suicide lifenews.com 1/17/6 ["cannot prohibit the use of federally controlled drugs from being used in assisted suicides in Oregon, the only state in the nation with a law allowing the grisly practice.  The majority, which included all of the Justices who back abortion, said federal law does not trump state law, even though the supremacy of federal law is normally upheld."]
 Iran crisis a dilemma for China news.bbc.co.uk 1/17/6 ["Three years ago, when Iran was already supplying 13 per cent of China's oil needs, the two governments signed a major deal which included Chinese development of Iranian oil fields.  It is a source of supply of growing importance for China - one it doesn't want disrupted by politics. "]
 Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Assisted Suicide Law nytimes.com 1/17/6 ["Justice Antonin Scalia, in a sharp dissent, asserted that the attorney general did indeed have the authority to issue his 2001 ruling, regardless of the majority's reading of events. "If the term 'legitimate medical purpose' has any meaning, it surely excludes the prescription of drugs to produce death," Justice Scalia wrote. Also dissenting were Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Clarence Thomas."]
 Florida Judicial Bypass Rulings on Abortion Concern Pro-Life Advocates lifenews.com 1/17/6 ["More than 120 teenagers have appeared before judges in the last six months with a request to have an abortion without telling their parents. In most of the cases, the secret abortion is approved."]
 2 Million Displaced By Storms washingtonpost.com 1/17/6 ["The Federal Emergency Management Agency yesterday increased its count of people displaced from the Gulf Coast by hurricanes Katrina and Rita by nearly a third, to about 2 million people. A FEMA spokeswoman attributed the sharp rise to a reporting error."]
 U.N. Calls for European Airline Checks to Control Bird Flu nytimes.com 1/17/6 ["should adopt policies like increased checks of airline passengers and their belongings to prevent the disease from spreading across the Continent.  ...European nations should consider, for example, requiring incoming travelers to fill out forms detailing travel history and agricultural products in their possession, as has long been the policy when entering the United States"]
 Beijing in post-Christmas crackdown worldnetdaily.com 1/17/6 ["China Aid reported several other house churches have been raided in Beijing recently. Just after Christmas, Jin Tianming, pastor of at least nine house churches in Haidian District, was detained and questioned at a police station overnight.  Dozens of other leaders in his church also were questioned."]
 Gore calls for special counsel on eavesdropping reuters.com 1/17/6 [""A special counsel should be immediately appointed by the attorney general to remedy the obvious conflict of interest that prevents him from investigating what many believe are serious violations of law by the president," Gore said in a speech to The American Constitution Society and The Liberty Coalition.  ...A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government"  Editor:  His statements may have validity, but it is Hegelian dialect - saying the opposite for Bush's justification by the 'conservatives' ]
 Drought-Stricken Okla. Thirsts for Relief breitbart.com 1/17/6 [" No other region in the country has seen a greater drop-off in rainfall than southeastern Oklahoma, which received nearly 23 inches less than usual last year, the Oklahoma Climatological Survey reports. The entire state ended the year with nearly a 10-inch shortfall."]
 

 European Nations Urged to Harmonize Laws newsday.com 1/16/6 ["But harmonizing law enforcement rules -- whose origins date back centuries and have developed differently in European nations -- has met resistance in many capitals where officials consider crime fighting a national concern."]
 Dutch Study Shows Patients Requesting Euthanasia Likely Depressed lifesite.net 1/16/6 ["as shown that at least 50% of patients killed under the Dutch euthanasia programme were suffering from depression. In addition, 44% of those suffering from cancer showed clinical signs of depression when they asked for euthanasia."]
 Allstate Calls for More U.S. Aid for Disasters latimes.com 1/16/6 ["the insurance industry did not have the capital to cover the multibillion-dollar losses from natural disasters, such as those from hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year. Congress should create a national program to back up states' natural catastrophe insurance programs"]
 Broken Family Structure Leads to Educational Difficulties for Children lifesite.net 1/16/6 ["The report found that children from non-intact families (children living in a situation other than with their own married father and mother) have significantly higher rates of difficulty with all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten through to primary, secondary, and college-age levels. Each year a child spends with a single mother or stepparent “reduces that child’s overall educational attainment by approximately one-half year” suggests the report.  ...The study reports that a majority of U.S. children will have spent a significant part of their childhood in a one-parent home by the time they reach 18. Single parent homes in the U.S. nearly doubled in the period from 1968-2003."]
 Israel withdrawal from West Bank? worldnetdaily.com 1/16/6 ["Israeli forces are currently preparing to evict Jews from their homes in select area neighborhoods including the biblical city of Hebron, considered the oldest Jewish community in the world.  Clashes broke out here yesterday between Jewish protesters and hundreds of policemen and Israeli Defense Forces soldiers deployed in Hebron ahead of the announced eviction of eleven families from a marketplace near the entrance to the city. "]
‘Marshall Plan’ for Iraq fades dawn.com 1/16/6 ["The $18.6 billion approved by Congress in 2003 will be spent by the end of this year, officials here say. Foreign governments have given only a fraction of the billions they pledged two years ago."]
 UK: Thousands of 13-Year-Olds Given Abortifacient Morning-After Pills without Parents Knowledge lifesite.net 1/16/6 ["at 302 clinics about 2,400 13-year-old or younger girls had been given the morning-after pill, while another 400 were secretly given long-term (usually by hormonal implant) contraception. "]
 

 Fires Flare Up Again In Oklahoma; Two Dozen Homes Destroyed kotv.com 1/15/6 [""]
  'Divine mission' driving Iran's new leader telegraph.co.uk 1/15/6 [""]
 'Brokeback' could open doors for gay films indystar.com 1/15/6 ["A survey of the six major studios, plus DreamWorks, New Line Cinema and Miramax Films, reveals that their development slates are virtually devoid of such projects. And although there are no shortages of gay characters in films today, studios say that what little they have on their development or release slates does not fall into the category of "Brokeback Mountain," with its portrayal of romantic gay love."]
 Scientists set to create human-rabbit hybrid news.scotsman.com 1/15/6 ["The controversial work, which involves placing the nucleus of a human cell inside a rabbit egg, is rejected as immoral by churches and anti-cloning campaigners. One of the key ethical problems is whether the hybrid embryo should be treated legally as a human or an animal."]
 

 European Commission to Pledge $100 Million in Fight Against Bird Flu voanews.com 1/14/6 ["noted that never before has an animal disease posed such a global threat.  Thursday, the World Bank said it had approved $500 million in aid to help fight bird flu."]
 `Brokeback' may herald acceptance of gay marriage mercurynews.com 1/14/6 ["If you are looking for a cultural signpost to the future of gay marriage, you need look no further than the reaction to the saga of love-struck cowboys. Never mind that ``Brokeback Mountain'' has a good chance to corral more than its share of major awards at the Golden Globes ceremony on Monday. The big news is that the film is being embraced even in red states."]
 AU backs UN plan for Sudan force news.bbc.co.uk 1/14/6 ["The African Union (AU) has said it backs proposals for a UN peacekeeping force in the Darfur region of Sudan, despite opposition from its government."]
 Abortion Advocates Destroy Pro-Life Ads on San Francisco BART System lifenews.com 1/14/6 ["The other has the following message: "The Supreme Court says you can choose: after the heart starts beating, after its arms and legs appear, after all organs are present, after the sex is apparent, after it sucks its thumb, after it responds to sounds, after it could survive outside the womb.''"]
 British scientists identify mutation in H5N1 virus taipeitimes.com 1/14/6 ["British scientists have found a small mutation in the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus isolated from a Turkish child who died of it, the WHO said on Thursday, but medical experts said it was too soon to gauge its significance."]
 New Zealand capital shaken by quake news.scotsman.com 1/14/6 ["magnitude of 4.3 rattled New Zealand's capital, Wellington."]
 Activists condemn S African gay blood ban abc.net.au 1/14/6 ["Gay activists in South Africa have vowed to flood blood banks with donations after a ruling by the national blood service it would no longer accept blood from homosexual men."]
 

 As Usual, Conservative Christians Don't Get It newswithviews.com 1/13/6 [By Pastor Chuck Baldwin  "There is a greater reality at work here that most conservative Christians deliberately choose to ignore: the Republican Party has no intentions of ending legalized abortion! Absolutely none!  ...It doesn't matter that so-called "pro-life" Republican candidates have had over 30 years to overturn Roe and are no closer now to doing so than they were when Roe was first decided. It doesn't matter that not a single "pro-life" Republican congressman has introduced legislation under Article III, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution to remove Roe from the jurisdiction of the Court..."]
Come October, Baby Will Make 300 Million or So nytimes.com 1/13/6 [Editor: Good useable statistics.  Excercise: Try finding out how many are born each week in America, and then do a percentage of how many are aborted.]
 Doesn't God Care? newswithviews.com 1/13/6 ["Mathew 4:17. "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The central message of our Lord, from the time He began to teach, was one of repentance.  Why?  See, there was a time when the emphasis of Christianity was not on this life, but on the next."]
 AP: National ID a 'Nightmare' for States ap.org 1/13/6 ["State motor vehicle officials nationwide who will have to carry out the Real ID Act say its authors grossly underestimated its logistical, technological and financial demands.  ...The law also demands that states link their record-keeping systems to national databases so duplicate applications can be detected, illegal immigrants caught and driving histories shared.  State licenses that fail to meet Real ID's standards will not be able to be used to board an airplane or enter a federal building.  The law, which was attached to a funding measure for the Iraq war last May, has been criticized by civil libertarians who contend it will create a de facto national ID card and new centralized databases, inhibiting privacy."]
 US 2006 budget deficit to exceed 400 billion dollars 1/13/6 ["smashing a prior estimate of 341 billion dollars  ...Kaplan said "substantial investments" for rebuilding the country's devastated Gulf coast region, which received direct hits from hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year, would deepen the deficit."]
 UN wants Western troops to intervene in Darfur to stop bloodshed smh.com.au 1/13/6 ["The United Nations wants the US and European countries to help form a tough mobile force that would stop the bloodshed, rape and and plunder in Sudan's Darfur region.  ...Mr Annan said the African Union's 6000 soldiers would remain in Darfur for nine to 12 more months if they had enough funds. At the moment, the body has only enough money to last until March, with the US Congress having denied it a further $50 million ($66 million) in aid."]
  Will You Live Under "The Earth Charter"? newswithviews.com 1/13/6 [""]
 UK: Eviction threat in 'respect' plan news.bbc.co.uk 1/13/6 ["People could be banned from their own homes for three months for being nuisance neighbours under Tony Blair's latest "respect agenda" proposals.  Police could also get new powers to deliver on-the-spot fines, and there would be more parenting orders. "]
 

 Earth 'won't cope' as China, India develop theage.com.au 1/12/6 [""The world's ecological capacity is simply insufficient to satisfy the ambitions of China, India, Japan, Europe and the United States as well as the aspirations of the rest of the world in a sustainable way," the 244-page report said.  If China and India, each with more than a billion people, were to match Japan's per capita use of resources by 2030, "together they would require a full planet Earth to meet their needs", it said."]
 Howard's $100m fight against climate woes heraldsun.news.com.au 1/12/6 ["Prime Minister John Howard announced a $100 million fund to foster development of new energy technology, $25 million of it for renewable energy technologies."]
 Poll: HS Seniors Liberal on Homosexuality, Conservative on Abortion agapepress.org 1/12/6 ["found that 75 percent of high school seniors back the legalization of same-sex "marriage" or civil unions.  ...On the gay issue, I just think they've just grown up in a different time. There's a lot more openness about being gay, and I don't think it's something that bothers most high school seniors"]
 New Zealand: Ten vaccinated kids get disease stuff.co.nz 1/12/6 ["Ten fully vaccinated children and teenagers have been infected with deadly meningococcal B disease since the immunisation programme began 18 months ago."]
 'Doomsday' seed bank to be built news.bbc.co.uk 1/12/6 ["Norway is planning to build a "doomsday vault" inside a mountain on an Arctic island to hold a seed bank of all known varieties of the world's crops."]
 

 London commuters get digitally 'stripped' int.iol.co.za 1/11/6 ["The scanner has been on trial at Heathrow Airport for several months, alongside conventional metal detectors and X-ray baggage scanners. Further trials are planned for the London subway and other inter-city rail stations."]
 Calif. School Sued Over Evolution Class forbes.com 1/11/6 ["Frazier Mountain High in Lebec violated the separation of church and state while attempting to legitimize the theory of "intelligent design" by introducing it as a philosophy class, according to the federal lawsuit filed by parents of 13 students. The teacher is also a minister's wife.  "The course was designed to advance religious theories on the origins of life, including creationism and its offshoot, 'intelligent design,'" the lawsuit said. "Because the teacher has no scientific training, students are not provided with any critical analysis of this presentation." "]
 Sony Music launches gay label stuff.co.nz 1/11/6 ["ony Music is launching the first major music label dedicated to nurturing lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered artists.  The label, Music with a Twist, is a joint venture with Wilderness Media & Entertainment, the company led by Matt Farber, who founded Viacom's MTV Networks' new gay and lesbian channel LOGO"]
 Moderate quake in Pakistan, no damage, casualties alertnet.org 1/11/6 ["A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan"]
 Maps of Recent Earthquake Activity usgs.gov 1/11/6 [""]
 

 Harry Potter was the wizard of book sales in 2005, topping the best-seller list in North America. cbc.ca 1/10/6 ["Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold 4.1 million copies in its first day, more than any other book sold the entire year"]
 The purpose-driven pastor philly.com 1/10/6 ["I'm so tired of Christians being known for what they're against.  ... It has been popular with Lutherans, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians  ...Warren predicts that fundamentalism, of all varieties, will be "one of the big enemies of the 21st century."  "Muslim fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalism, Jewish fundamentalism, secular fundamentalism - they're all motivated by fear. Fear of each other.""]
 Gory games that can warp your brain timesonline.co.uk 1/10/6 ["The participants were shown a variety of real-life images interspersed with violent scenes and other non-violent negative images. In subjects with the most experience of violent games, the P300 response to the violent images was smaller, and delayed. “People who play a lot of violent video games didn’t see them as much different from neutral (images),” Dr Bartholow said."]
 Jordan's king to speak at U.S. prayer breakfast washtimes.com 1/10/6 ["Plans are to have the king offer a prayer or say a few words at the Feb. 2 breakfast, then give the keynote speech at a lunch for evangelical leaders that same day.  ..His speech inspired Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick to respond with a reciprocal prayer "in the name of Allah." "]
 The mark of the beast wnd.com 1/10/6 ["The federal government is launching a National Animal Identification System that will, by 2009, require that every agricultural animal in the nation be equipped with an identification device through which its movement can be traced from birth to slaughter. At the moment, the program is voluntary; by 2009, non-compliance can result in fines of up to $1,000 per day."]
 Lock them up to die - prison bird flu plan stuff.co.nz 1/10/6 ["Some prisoners would be set free, but the most dangerous would be locked away and left to take their chances and the dead buried in mass graves if an Asian bird flu epidemic hits New Zealand's jails."]
 Brazil Government Backs Down on Supporting Bill to Legalize Abortion lifenews.com 1/10/6 ["The government sent a bill to Congress in September to legalize abortion and the bill is still expected to be debated for months in the lower house.  However, the government is now acknowledging that its chance of passing is slim."]
 

 China signals switch in reserves away from dollar nytimes.com 1/9/6 ["Economists estimate that more that 70 per cent of the reserves are invested in US dollar assets, which has helped to sustain the recent large US deficits. If China were to stop acquiring such a large proportion of dollars with its reserves – currently accumulating at about $15bn (€12.4bn) a month – it could put heavy downward pressure on the greenback."]
Population size 'green priority' news.bbc.co.uk 1/9/6 ["Professor Chris Rapley argues that the current global population of six billion is unsustainably high.  ...Professor Rapley, Director of the British Antarctic Survey, acknowledges it is a thorny question, invoking the spectre of forced population control and even eugenics."]
 Freak weather sees tragedy open 2006 news.scotsman.com 1/9/6 ["extreme weather around the world marked the first days of 2006."]
  In India, gender abortions in millions iht.com 1/9/6 ["As many as 10 million female fetuses may have been aborted in India over the past 20 years as families try to secure a male heir."]
 

 Key question for Alito: presidential power csmonitor.com 1/8/6 ["the Alito hearings also mark the reopening of a rare dialogue between the Congress and the other two branches of government over the balance of powers, especially in wake of disclosures of White House approval of surveillance without a warrant.  John Roberts, now chief justice of the United States, faced questions from senators on both sides of the aisle on the court's trend to rein in congressional power. For Judge Alito, a main concern will be whether Congress can curb executive power."]
 Strong earthquake rattles Greece, felt in Mideast jpost.com 1/8/6 ["A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 shook Greece on Sunday, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said, and was felt as far away as in the Middle East. There were no initial reports of any injuries."]
 Iran to remove U.N. seals at atomic research sites reuters.com 1/8/6 ["it was preparing to remove U.N. seals at some nuclear research and development sites, despite strong Western opposition to its decision to resume atomic work halted more than two years ago.  ...and we have announced that we are ready to start research from tomorrow"]
 Pilgrims begin flocking to Mena at haj ritual start alertnet.org 1/8/6 ["Over two million Muslims began streaming out of Mecca on Sunday..."]
 Australia Abortion Practitioners Apply to Use Dangerous RU 486 Drugs lifenews.com 1/8/6 ["They're hoping to help force a vote on allowing the abortion drug to be used in the island nation."]
 Computer chips get under skin of enthusiasts reuters.com 1/8/6 ["Forgetting computer passwords is an everyday source of frustration, but a solution may literally be at hand -- in the form of computer chip implants."]
 Tomorrow's homework: reading, writing, and Arabic boston.com 1/8/6 ["President Bush announced a new initiative that will begin teaching Arabic and other ''critical need" languages to American students -- some as young as kindergarteners -- so they can eventually help the US government win the long-term struggle against terrorism."]
 

 A hero during Vietnam massacre, pilot dies at 62 cbc.ca 1/7/6 ["a helicopter pilot who trained his guns on American troops to save civilians during the worst atrocity in modern U.S. military history"]
 Patrick Henry Today: "Give Me Security, Anything But Death" newswithviews.com 1/7/6 [By Pastor Chuck Baldwin  "All over America, conservatives, including Christian conservatives, defend President Bush's decisions to abuse the power of his office and ignore the rule of law by spying on Americans without warrants and ignoring the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution and procedures of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). They defend him as he unabashedly calls for greater power and promises to continue to ignore basic liberties. Such conduct is both unconscionable and unforgivable!"]
 Gold prices hit quarter-century high upi.com 1/7/6 ["The main reason is that investment demand will continue to boost the gold price. Underlying nervousness with regard to the fundamentals for the U.S. dollar is underpinning investment in gold."]
 Taking Your Kids Out Of Public School Is Not Enough! newswithviews.com 1/7/6 [" taking your kids out of the public school system is not enough; it's time to take them out of corrupt churches as well, with their Willow Creepy, Purpose Driven, Your Best Lie Now "instruction manuals" that turn them into spiritual liberals with "conflicting doctrines and ideas."  Many today are simply turning themselves and their kids over to the capricious care of "Manchurian Christians" who teach and encourage them to follow their feelings, follow the crowd and emulate the very culture Jesus Christ came to deliver us from"]
 China Official: One-Child Forced Abortion Policy to Remain for "Years" lifenews.com 1/7/6 ["said the one-child policy is a long-term government program to curb China's growing population. He said the population control policy will appear in the nation's 11th Five-Year Plan, covering 2006-2010, and beyond."]
 New Orleans kicks off post-Katrina Carnival season reuters.com 1/7/6 ["Hurricane Katrina brought the lucrative New Orleans tourism and convention industry, which funds roughly one-third of the city's budget, to a halt. In normal years, Mardi Gras draws hundreds of thousands of visitors during the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday and pumps an estimated $1 billion into the local economy."]
 Japan struggles to cope with record snowfall today.reuters.co.uk 1/7/6 ["Almost 4 metres (13 ft) of snow has piled up in the worst-hit areas of Niigata near the Japan Sea coast, though the snowiest season of the year is yet to come."]
 Congo Conflict Called Deadliest in the World voanews.com 1/7/6 ["According to a new study, nearly fDDour million people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1998, making it the deadliest humanitarian crisis in the world."]
 California: Fail exam? You don't graduate, state says sfgate.com 1/7/6 [""]
 Alaska Volcano Showing Signs of Increased Activity allheadlinenews.com 1/7/6 ["recent observations indicate that the volcano is producing new magma and a thermal camera measured steam temperature from one of the vents at 750 degrees. This is well above the average temperature"]
 

 Planned Parenthood Operates 825 Abortion Centers, Targets Latinos lifenews.com 1/5/6 ["Planned Parenthood now operates 173 centers that perform surgical abortions and 57 centers that don't perform surgical abortions but distribute the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug.  ...one recent phenomenon in the abortion business is the rise in the number of "express" clinics.  Those are smaller centers that act like a pharmacy to dispense Plan B and birth control drugs."]
 Zeta, Tropical Storm That Won't Quit washingtonpost.com 1/5/6 ["could break the record for the storm lasting the longest into January since record keeping began in 1851."]
 Two Egyptian soldiers killed, dozens injured on Gaza border haaretzdaily.com 1/5/6 ["Security forces Lt. Sameh el-Antablyan announced the casualties and said the 3,000 Egyptian security troops, who rushed to the border after it was breached, were forced to pull back."]
 Partial-Birth Abortion Returns to the U.S. Supreme Cour lifesite.net 1/5/6 ["On Friday, January 6, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to decide whether to review a lower-court ruling that has blocked enforcement of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a bill signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 5, 2003. The Court may announce its decision on whether to accept the case on January 6, or on Monday, January 9."]
 Padilla Brought to Face Civilian Charges chron.com 1/5/6 [""]
Strong Warning That Demographic Collapse is Suicide of West – Mark Steyn lifesite.net 1/5/6 ["Steyn says that the obsession of western governments with what he calls the “secondary impulses” of cradle-to-grave welfare, government health care, nationalized day care, and “rights” such as abortion, over the primary responsibilities of government such as “national defence, family, faith and, most basic of all, reproductive activity,” has created an irreversible slide to a catastrophic social breakdown.  “The design flaw of the secular social-democratic state is that it requires a religious-society birthrate to sustain it…”"]
 Olmert Holds First Cabinet Meeting Next to Sharon’s Empty Chair israelnationalnews.com 1/5/6 ["An unprecedented amount of power has now been concentrated in the hands of Ehud Olmert. In addition to serving as prime minister, he also holds the powers and portfolios of 12 government ministries. The ministries were recently vacated by the Labor Party ministers, and Sharon had not yet appointed their replacements."]
 Lawmaker files bill to make abortion illegal in Indiana wndu.com 1/5/6 ["by Representative Troy Woodruff of Vincennes would change Indiana's feticide law to make it a Class C felony to perform an abortion. The only exception would be when a pregnancy threatens the life or health of the mother. Violating the law would carry a two to eight year prison sentence. "]
 'hook-em horns' symbol news.yahoo.com 1/5/6 ["U.S. President George W. Bush gives the Texas 'hook-em horns' symbol before speaking at the State Department in Washington January 5, 2006."]
 'hook-em horns' symbol news.yahoo.com 1/5/6 ["President Bush flashes a smile and the University of Texas Longhorns' hook'em horns sign before making remarks at the U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education"]
 

 Spain Continues Cultural Tailspin—Abortion Rates Soar 72% lifesite.net 1/4/6 ["Spain’s health ministry has issued a report showing abortion rates over the past 10 years have climbed 72%, to 84,985 in 2004, from the 1995 number of 49,367.  Although Spain’s abortion laws officially limit abortion to situations involving rape, malformation of the baby, or threats to the physical or mental health of the mother, 95.7% of all abortions list health concerns of the mother as the reason for the procedure. "]
 Alito Not Pro-Life; Voted To Overturn Ban On Partial-Birth Abortion Which Is Infanticide theamericanview.com 1/4/6 ["Is it really “pro-life” to say a woman must “notify” her husband that she plans to murder their unborn baby by abortion? Not at all. Such a requirement might be said to be pro-husband. But “notification” before their unborn baby is murdered by abortion is not pro-life. No way.  And what evidence is there to support Ertelt’s speculation that Alito is likely to vote pro-life on the partial-birth abortion ban case before the Supreme Court? Answer: There is no such evidence and Ertelt cites none.  In fact, Alito once voted to strike down a ban on partial-birth abortion! But, Ertelt makes no mention of this vote in his article — not one word!"]
 Critics Question Study Linking Abortion, Mental Health Problems cnsnews.com 1/4/6 ["Fergusson said he had sent the research paper to four journals - two of them in the U.S. - before it was accepted by the British publication.  Previously he has had papers accepted "first time every time," but he suspected that because of the "highly controversial" subject matter of the latest one, some journals had been reluctant to take it."]
 Board Rescinds 'Intelligent Design' Policy ap.org 1/4/6 ["The policy required that a statement be read to Dover public school students about "intelligent design" before ninth-grade biology class lessons on evolution.  The statement said Darwin's theory is "not a fact" and has inexplicable "gaps." It also referred students to an "intelligent-design" book, "Of Pandas and People.""]
 PA Continues To Report Synagogue Building Under Temple Mount  israelnn.com 1/4/6 ["Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, charged the reports as baseless "incitement, lies and libel." He added that Jewish law forbids excavations under the site."]
 US to seek dismissal of Guantanamo cases abc.net.au 1/4/6 ["The development comes a week after President George W Bush signed new legislation curbing Guantanamo Bay prisoners' abilities to challenge their detention in Federal Court.  The law also bans cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners in US custody, despite originally being opposed by the White House.  ...The bill limits prisoners from going to lower-level civilian courts for relief from confinement in a concession to the White House.  They can only go to an appeals court once they have gone through a military court process. "]
 Bush could bypass new torture ban boston.com 1/4/6 ["After approving the bill last Friday, Bush issued a ''signing statement" -- an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law -- declaring that he will view the interrogation limits in the context of his broader powers to protect national security. This means Bush believes he can waive the restrictions, the White House and legal specialists said."]
 Why Christians are Mentally Ill michnews.com 1/4/6 [""]
 Militants attack Iraq fuel convoy mercurynews.com 1/4/6 ["Militants ambushed a convoy of 60 tanker trucks heading to Baghdad from Iraq's largest refinery Wednesday, destroying four of the vehicles and damaging 15 others, police said.  ...The Beiji closure contributed to a fuel crisis caused by an acute shortage due to Iraq's decreased refinery capacity. The crisis was compounded by government decision Dec. 18 to increase fuel prices and abolish some subsidies for oil products."]
 Strong Quake Strikes Off Baja Peninsula forbes.com 1/4/6 ["There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.  The 6.7-magnitude quake..."]
 

 Muslims To Be Excluded from Germany Because of Views on Homosexuality lifesite.net 1/3/6 ["The southern state of Baden-Wurttemberg now requires all Muslims requesting citizenship to undergo an extensive test designed to reveal their views on such issues as gay rights, ...   The test is designed to weed out those applicants who express views that go against Germany’s social policies. This is believed to be the first use of such testing worldwide, although the Netherlands is reportedly considering a similar move.  Homosexuals are given extensive recognition in German society, including rights of civil union that almost parallel rights of marriage."]
 Christians Can Use Lessons from The Lion, Movie Ministry Leader Says agapepress.org 1/3/6 [I Timothy 4:2-3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."]
 Bush Pushes for Patriot Act Renewal abcnews.go.com 1/3/6 ["Noting the Patriot Act was overwhelmingly approved not long after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, he said political considerations now were getting in the way."]
 New In-Vitro Concern: Contamination May Lead to Bacterial DNA “Embedded” in IVF Kids lifesite.net 1/3/6 ["Spanish researchers have found that mice conceived using sperm exposed to E.coli bacteria before artificially inseminating a mouse egg, retain the genetic code of the bacteria in their DNA.  The finding raises new concerns for in-vitro fertilization as an alternative to natural procreation, especially as IVF has become increasingly popular for couples experiencing difficulty in conceiving a child."]
 Iraq's oil exports hit lowest level since war; oil minister resigns usatoday.com 1/3/6 ["Iraq's exports of oil hit their lowest level in December since the war, as the country's oil minister resigned Monday in the wake of protests and riots over soaring gas prices and lengthening lines at the pump."]
 State officials watching lawsuit against Christian school nctimes.com 1/3/6 ["Paul Ramsey, chief counsel for the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing, said case law he is aware of does not spell out whether a private, Christian school can expel students for being homosexual, the dilemma the Wildomar case presents."]
 Europe Seeks to Cut Reliance on Russian Gas After Price Battle bloomberg.com 1/3/6 [" Europe gets about a quarter of its gas from Russia, the world's largest producer, and about 90 percent of that flows through a single pipeline crossing Ukraine. OAO Gazprom, Russia's state-run gas monopoly, cut off natural-gas supplies to Ukraine Jan. 1 after the Ukrainian government refused to accept a fourfold increase in prices."]
 

 Kjos Ministries crossroad.to 1/2/6 [""]
 Narnia - Part 3: A postmodern path to faith and salvation? crossroad.to 1/2/6 ["hen you communicate "truth in story," the truth can be stretched like a rubber band. When the author creates the context out of the imagination, it takes on new colors and character. Such "truth" is nothing like God's absolute truth which was written for eternity according to the words and inspiration of our Lord Himself. In fact He warns us repeatedly against any meddling with His message! He will not let us add or delete anything. His certainty must not be tainted with our uncertainties."]
 Excerpts from "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis crossroad.to  1/2/6 ["Many have already been deceived by the same pluralistic views, which are taught today by schools as well as churches around the world.  Much of what C. S. Lewis writes lines up with the Scriptures. But when the true statements are mixed with error or unbiblical suggestions, the latter corrupts the overall message. In fact, the truths make the errors all the more palatable and seductive!"]
 China forbids helping select fetus's gender azstarnet.com 1/2/6 ["A new Chinese law calls for prison terms of up to three years and fines for doctors and other health workers who assist in revealing the gender of unborn babies, leading to abortions"]
 Wiretaps vital & within law: Bush theaustralian.news.com.au 1/2/6 [" US President George W.Bush has been forced into another defence of his National Security Agency's domestic spying program after revelations that a senior Justice Department official refused to give his sanction because of legal concerns."]
 

 America – Blinded by Sin and Saturated with Iniquity! lasttrumpetministries.org 1/1/6 ["The allegory of this is amazing because in our day people are spiritually blind, especially nominal “Christians.” Even though God is sending numerous warnings of judgment, even destroying whole cities like New Orleans, people persist in their iniquity and continue to weary themselves to find the doors of more sin and evil. Just as the men of Sodom were blinded shortly before their judgment, so it is that universal gross spiritual blindness comes upon the people before the final judgment, and this is the very condition of our day."]
 Last Trumpet Ministries lasttrumpetministries.org 1/1/6 [""]
 Mass. lawmakers want wider buffer zones at abortion clinics firstamendmentcenter.org 1/1/6 ["The bill, backed by lawmakers and organizations who support abortion rights, would create a fixed 35-foot buffer zone around a clinic's entrances and driveways.  They say the current law, which mandates a 6-foot "floating" buffer zone around patients within an 18-foot radius of a clinic entrance, is too confusing"]
 Mount St. Helens' Lava Astounds Scientists sfgate.com 1/1/6 ["Roughly every three seconds, a large dump truck load's worth of lava — 10 cubic yards — oozes into the mountain's crater. And with the sticky molten rock comes a steady drumfire of small earthquakes.  ... suggests resupply from greater depths, which normally would generate certain gases and deep earthquakes. Neither is being detected.  "That's one of the headscratchers, I guess," Sherrod said."]
 Pope, at New Year, decries terrorism, calls on UN reuters.co.uk 1/1/6 ["called on the United Nations to fulfil its responsibilities to promote justice, peace and solidarity in an increasingly globalised world.  "Terrorism, nihilism and fanatical fundamentalism -- faced with these threats, it becomes more than necessary to work together for peace,""]
 Iraqi vote deals blow to vision of secular democracy stltoday.com 1/1/6 ["Interviews with other voters also showed that even those who say they like the idea of a stable, unified Iraq under secular leadership voted for religious or ethnic blocs.  That deepens doubts that Iraqis are willing to support the sort of democracy that American officials have envisioned as an ally in reshaping the Middle East."]