George H.W. Bush Moved Out of Intensive Care

Good news. From the Washington Times:

Former President George H.W. Bush’s condition continued to improve Saturday, prompting doctors to move him out of intensive care, a spokesman said.

“President Bush’s condition has improved, so he has been moved today from the intensive care unit to a regular patient room at The Methodist Hospital to continue his recovery,” family spokesman Jim McGrath said Saturday. “The Bushes thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes.”

Bush was hospitalized Nov. 23 for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough. He was moved to intensive care at the Houston hospital on Dec. 23 after he developed a fever.

On Friday, McGrath said Bush had improved since arriving in the ICU. He said he was alert and in good spirits and was even doing some singing.

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Report: Assad Won't Leave Home

With the fighting continuing in Syria, the balance of power has moved away from Bashar Assad's regime. The Washington Post is reporting that Assad will not even leave his house.

Moreover, Middle Eastern intelligence officials, citing accounts from defectors that could not be verified, say Assad has ceased going outdoors during daylight hours, apparently out of fear that he will be hit by a sniper’s bullet or other fire.
“His movements suggest a constant state of fear,” a Middle Eastern official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

And that Putin's comments that Russia does not care about Assad's regime's fate hit him hard.

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Is this the blog page for suspected would-be S. Fla. child rapist Dwipin Thomas Maliackal?

BIG "Horny Indian" wanted to make the girls ages 10 and 13, his "girlfriend(s) and make one of [them] pregnant"

The story has been largely ignored by the media in the U.S. Only local coverage from the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Bay Tribune. No national media. Most likely the U.S. media is uncomfortable given his South Asian ethnicity.

But the less politically correct UK Daily Mail finds it a major story.

Man, 24, 'traveled for sex with sisters, 10 and 13, and said he wanted to make one his girlfriend and get her pregnant'...

Dwipin Maliackal met undercover FBI agent on internet incest chat room. He 'told agent [posing as the children's dad] that he has had sex with children as young as five' [He] wanted to get 10-year-old pregnant 'if you're OK with that'...
Maliackal is a 2012 graduate of the University of South Florida where he was the president of his fraternity... He had met the undercover agent on an incest chat room on December 7 where Maliackal, who graduated from University of South Florida this summer, used the name 'Horny_Indian'.

He told the 'father' that he had had sex with other children, including relatives and a neighbour, and that his youngest victim had been just five years old, according to the criminal complaint.

He added that he wanted to have sex with the agent's 10-year-old daughter and make her his 'girlfriend', and that he hoped sex with the girls would be a 'regular thing', the complaint said.

'I would love to get her pregnant, if you're OK with that,' Maliackal told the agent.

He told agents he had planned to have sex with both of the girls and said has been sexually attracted to 'prepubescent' girls since he was a teenager.

This from his blog page Public Affairs Report:

As you can probably tell, I am not a doctor, but I did want to be one when I was younger. I am Dwipin [Doo-pin] Maliackal [Mall-ee-ah-cle] and I am an avid sports lover. I have played sports for most of my life. I am studying to become a sports broadcaster.

His blog posts in general show a keen interest in local politics. He covered Hillsborough County school board meetings, the Hillsborough County budget process and the Sheriff's Dept.

In one post, he described a visit to the local morgue on a school trip, "The most interesting part of the trip... we actually saw parts of a dead body in the room."

And this most ironic posting:

imagine yourself getting stopped by the police for drinking and driving. Do you know what happens once you’re taken to jail? Most people don’t... From this visit, it made me realize that I never want to be arrested for anything as I don’t ever want to go through the process that we learned about.

Good News: Congress Getting a Pay Raise

And you'll never guess who gave the order: President Barack Obama. All of his statements disparaging Congress for lacking common sense? It seems that he is rewarding them for their disarray.

From the Weekly Standard:

President Barack Obama issued an executive order to end the pay freeze on federal employees, in effect giving some federal workers a raise. One federal worker now to receive a pay increase is Vice President Joe Biden.

According to disclosure forms, Biden made a cool $225,521 last year. After the pay increase, he'll now make $231,900 per year.

Members of Congress, from the House and Senate, also will receive a little bump, as their annual salary will go from $174,000 to 174,900. Leadership in Congress, including the speaker of the House, will likewise get an increase.

They clearly all deserve it, right?

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Why is the national media ignoring this story? Boy saves little sister during home invasion, using his Dad's assault rifle

From Eric Dondero:

Spotty coverage in Houston. Not even the Houston Chronicle covered it. News blackout nationwide. Even supposedly "conservative-leaning" Fox News missed it.

Boy with an assault rifle comes to the rescue? Must not fit the template.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New America

In December of 1914 in the first bitter winter of a long bitter war the solders of the German Empire and the soldiers of the British Empire defied the orders of their officers.  They abandoned their hastily dug entrenchments that would soon grow into an elaborate maze of trenches stretching from Switzerland to the English Channel to meet each other in no man’s land. They sang hymns and exchanged gifts in a spontaneous outpouring of the feelings of peace, fellowship, and forgiveness which were then the staples of a Christ centered Christmas season.

If you drench yourself in the torrent of Christmas movies that bombard us from Thanksgiving till December 25^th you see that the spirit of Christmas in emotional America isn’t about the Christ child who came into a lost world to die as a payment for sin and to rise again to bring new life in harmony with God.  It is instead about the sentimental ideal of love and the boy gets the girl or is it the girl gets the boy?  Who knows sometimes they throw in a curve that really builds the suspense.  There are movies about Santa Clause, his sons, his daughters; his elves and wingless angels all of whom help people learn the true meaning of Christmas which is never about Christ and always about family and friends and being nice people.

In commercial America Christmas is about Black Friday and discounts so deep they remind me of the street vendor in Mexico who follows you shouting “I’ll give you 110% off if you buy two!”  The Chia Pets come out along with snuggies, pet rocks, and every other doodad imaginable to buy for people who already have too much.

The mountains of presents which obscenely bury Christmas trees in so many American homes are ripped apart by sugar-high children. Children who get into a frenzy of getting so intense they never have time to appreciate what they get. All they want is to get something else.  The beautiful wrapping paper, the miles of ribbon, and the forests of bows are stuffed unceremoniously into big green garbage bags on their way to landfills. 

So this is Christmas, and what have we done?  Another year over, and a new one just begun.

In the still sweet morning of December 26 people start preparing for the next blast of holiday cheer, Happy New Year!!!

What will 2013 bring?

Whether we plunge over the so-called fiscal cliff or not it will bring us a New America.  An America cast in the image of our newly re-elected Community-Organizer-in-Chief.  This representative of the Saul Alinsky wing of the Progressive movement, this made man from the Chicago political Outfit has won a second term.  Whether it was through the voter fraud no one seems willing to mention or through the actual votes of those who bought into the Uncle Sugar myth and vote for Santa Clause, the man from Hawaii who says he’s from Chicago and who won’t tell us much of anything else, is poised to create the Age of Obama, or America in his own image.

In the New America more people qualify for disability than get jobs, more people get food stamps than start businesses, and more people forget that America was founded to provide individual liberty, personal freedom and economic opportunity and embrace America as a cradle-to-grave welfare state.  People forget that when you limit failure you also limit success.  They don’t understand that when you create a safety net so complete it becomes a hammock many people figure why work when you can play.

Incentive is stifled by entitlements, and innovation is strangled by regulation. 

In our New America:

·         Taxes will go up and up as spending goes up even faster. 

·         Regulations will pour out of the bureaucracy to fill in all the blanks in thousand page laws no one ever reads. 

·         Our President will continue to bow before despots and our foreign policy will continue to support radical Islam in the Mideast. 

·         No one will ever be held accountable for Fast and Furious, Benghazi, or any of the other scandals which will erupt from the pustule of corruption that is Inside the Beltway.

·         The burgeoning energy industry that has the potential to lift America out of its economic tailspin will be throttled as the coal industry, the fracking boom, and oil shale are all regulated to death.  

·         We will pour billions down the green energy rat hole building industries that cannot produce enough energy to exist without government support.

·         Obamacare will destroy the insurance industry and eventually a single payer system will consign the rest of us to standing in lines in converted gymnasiums for impersonal care while our leaders take limousines and private jets to the Mayo Clinic all on our dime.

·         Industry will continue to flow out as foreign made goods flow in as more imbalanced trade agreements are called free.

·         We will be monitored by drones, wire taps, and computers as Big Brother extends his grasp till freedom becomes just another name for nothing left to lose.

This may be the New America that awaits us in 2013.  Our families, friends, and neighbors have voted for it, and we all get to live in it: oh happy days are here again.  The second coming of FDR has put food stamps in every pot and a Volt in every garage. 

In our New America Christ has been purged from Christmas and sappy sentimentality has replaced the joy of being born again in a relationship with God our loving Father.  So as you prepare to celebrate the New Year be sure and thank any of the millions of Obamazombies who get their opinions from the Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media, and who actually believe the economy is recovering and glory in America being knocked off its high horse for the New America we are all unwrapping under the Xmas Tree this year.

Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion.  He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com © 2012 Robert R. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com  Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens

 

 

 

2 Injured in Chemical Explosion at Cincinnati Industrial Waste Facility

From ABC 5:

An explosion at a Cincinnati business injured two people and prompted HAZMAT units to respond early Friday morning.

Emergency personnel were called to the site of the explosion at Environmental Enterprises Inc. at approximately 4 a.m.

Four men were shredding an industrial filter containing sodium chlorate, which is sensitive to friction, causing a flash fire, officials said.

Two people were injured as HAZMAT and fire crews work to extinguish any hot spots as a result of the explosion.

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Three Shot at Gloucester, New Jersey Police Station

From Fox News:

Three New Jersey police officers were reportedly wounded during a shooting inside the Gloucester Township Police station.

MyFoxPhilly.com reports that the suspected shooter has been shot and killed.

One male officer was shot twice, including once in the abdomen below his bulletproof vest, and underwent surgery Friday morning. The unidentified officer is reportedly in stable condition at Copper University Hospital.

Injuries to the other two officers, a male and a female, were "very minor,” sources said.

The early Friday morning shooting apparently occurred inside the police station, possibly near a stairwell in the rear of the building. Police said a suspect was under arrest in connection with a domestic violence-related incident when a struggle with officers ensued at around 5:30 a.m. The suspect "obtained a firearm" during the struggle, police sources said. Officers then returned fire, killing the unidentified suspect.

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Video: Norman Schwarzkopf Biography

A little background in this documentary on the Gulf War. Rest in peace:



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Reid: House of Reps Being Run Like a Monarchy!

From the AP via CBS:

A last-gasp effort Thursday to avoid automatic tax increases and spending cuts got off on the same convulsive, partisan tone that marked congressional attempts to resolve the impasse before lawmakers left Washington to go home for Christmas.

With a Dec. 31 deadline for an agreement to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff” rapidly approaching, leaders in each party demanded the other side take the initiative. The new flare-up happened despite a round of calls that President Barack Obama made to congressional leaders by phone Wednesday night from Hawaii before he boarded Air Force One to head home from vacation...

Obama’s plane landed in late morning at a suburban Maryland Air Force base, not long after Majority Leader Harry Reid took to the Senate floor to chastise House Republicans who last week opposed Speaker John Boehner’s efforts to pass a narrowly crafted bill. Boehner’s “Plan B” would have raised tax rates only on the very wealthiest Americans. But the opposition within his own party caucus forced the Ohio Republican to cancel a vote on the bill.

Reid charged Thursday that the House was “being operated with a dictatorship of the speaker.”

“John Boehner seems to care more about keeping his speakership than about keeping the nation on sound financial footing,” the Nevada Democrat said on the Senate floor.

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Snow Buries Catskill Mountains 12-27-2012

The first snowstorm of the 2012-13 season dumped feet of snow on the Catskill Mountains in Upstate, New York, as the inhabitants struggle to dig out from the heavy wet accumulation of winter's fury the morning after.

In my small hamlet at the foot of the Catskill's, twelve inches fell on us - mostly overnight - in doing so my neighborhood woke up to their roads and driveways engulfed with snow and, if, I represent most, drank their morning coffee and bundled up to face the white death that came to face us.

After about an hour and a half of shoveling, with a bucket of sweat to my name and many sore muscles from lack of physical exercise to this extent for a long time, a neighbor, who may God bless his soul, enjoyed using his snow blower helped me finish the last six feet of my driveway.

With this done, and after resting to catch my breath, I walked to a nearby Stewart's Shop and I enjoyed the reoccurring views of the aftermath to a winter snowstorm - everyone pulling their weight together to clean up the village, aid their friends and neighbors in clean up, and generally remain in a healthy attitude despite the hard work the morning had been...

Do you have any stories or comments about last night's storm?

Senate Seeks to Ban Assault Weapons

Who didn't see this coming? From Dianne Fienstein's own government page:

Summary of 2013 legislation

Following is a summary of the 2013 legislation:

• Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of:
• 120 specifically-named firearms
• Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one military characteristic
• Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds
• Strengthens the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and various state bans by:
• Moving from a 2-characteristic test to a 1-characteristic test
• Eliminating the easy-to-remove bayonet mounts and flash suppressors from the characteristics test
• Banning firearms with “thumbhole stocks” and “bullet buttons” to address attempts to “work around” prior bans
• Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds.

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Southwest Plane Skids off Runway in New York

From ABC:

A Tampa bound flight skidded off the runway at a New York airport this morning, according to CNN.

Suffolk police say a Southwest flight skidded of the MacArthur Airport Thursday.

New 12 reports the plane was taxiing when it veered into the grass. No injuries have been reported.

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Good News: U.S. to Hit Debt Ceiling on Monday

I'm so happy we have responsible leaders in Washington who will undoubtedly step up and fix our spending problem. Oy vey. From CNN:

Government borrowing will hit the debt ceiling on Monday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said in a letter to Congress Wednesday.

As a result, the Treasury Department will soon start using what it calls "extraordinary measures" to prevent government borrowing from exceeding the legal limit.

Such measures include suspending the reinvestment of federal workers' retirement account contributions in short-term government bonds.

On Monday, debt subject to the limit was just $95 billion below the $16.394 trillion debt ceiling.

All told, the extraordinary measures can create about $200 billion of headroom under the limit -- normally about two months worth of borrowing.

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After Months of Ignoring Problem, Obama Cuts Vacation Short to Deal With Fiscal Crisis

Because we'd all still have a job if we ignored a catastrophic problem, right? Right? From Reuters:

President Barack Obama is cutting short his Hawaiian holiday to leave for Washington on Wednesday to address the unfinished "fiscal cliff"negotiations with Congress, the White House said on Tuesday.

As the clock ticks toward a Jan. 1 deadline, efforts to avert a sharp rise in taxes and deep spending cuts have stalled, worrying world financial markets.

Obama and congressional lawmakers left Washington on Friday for the Christmas holidays with talks to avert the fiscal disaster in limbo.

When Obama arrives back in Washington early on Thursday, the focus will shift to the U.S. Senate after Republicans in the House of Representatives failed to pass their own budget measures last week.

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Video: Egypt Constitution 'Passes'

Or so the Muslim Brotherhood says:
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Jack Klugman Dead at 90

This is extremely sad news. From the AP:

For many, Jack Klugman will always be the messy one.

His portrayal of sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison on TV's "The Odd Couple" left viewers laughing but it also gave Klugman the leverage to create a more serious character, the gruff medical examiner in "Quincy M.E." His everyman ethos and comic timing endeared him to audiences and led to a prolific, six-decade acting career that spanned stage, screen and television.

Klugman died Monday at age 90 in suburban Northridge with his wife at his side. His sons called on his fans to embrace their father's tenacious and positive spirit.

"He had a great life and he enjoyed every moment of it, and he would encourage others to do the same," son Adam Klugman said.

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William Spangler Identified as Webster Shooter

Breaking:

Chief Pickering: The shooter died of self-inflicted gun wound. Name of William Spangler. "Has length of criminal history" #Webster

— 13WHAM (@13WHAM) December 24, 2012

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Syrian Activists: Assad Just Launched Chemical Attack

This is extremely unconfirmed for two reasons: first, it is not independently verified and only comes from anti-Assad activists. Second, this comes from Al-Jazeera, well-known as one of the worst news "sources" on the planet. Regardless, it is still interesting.

Video purporting to show the effects of the chemical attack:

From Al-Jazeera:

Seven people have died in Homs after they inhaled a "poisonous gas" used by government forces in a rebel-held neighbourhood, activists said.

Activists also told Al Jazeera on Sunday night that scores of others were affected in al-Bayyada neighbourhood. Side effects reported include nausea, relaxed muscles, blurred vision, and breathing difficulties.

Residents said they did not know the nature of the gas used.

"The situation is very difficult. We do not have enough facemasks. We don't know what this gas is but medics are saying it's something similar to Sarin gas," Raji Rahmet Rabbou, an activist in Homs, told Al Jazeera.

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Webster, NY Shooting: "Several" Shot, Including Two Firefighters

Update: Unfortunately, two firefighters who were shot have passed away.

Update 2: CNN reports that the gunman is dead as well.

Original article below:

From ABC 13:

13WHAM News has learned that at least two firefighters have been shot at the scene of a fire on Lake Road in Webster.

The fire is at 191 Lake Rd. near Bay Rd. Webster Fire tells 13WHAM News that an unknown gunman opened fire on fire crews as they arrived on scene.

Strong Hospital confirms two firefighters are being treated there. No fatalities have been confirmed.

The fire has now spread to three houses. Firefighters are waiting for police to finish evacuating people from the area before they move in.

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Ex-Major Leaguer Ryan Freel Found Dead

From Yahoo:

For someone who amounted to part-timer, Ryan Freel gave a lot of joy to baseball fans. He exhibited a colorful, sometimes bizarre personality and demonstrated an acrobatic, sometimes reckless style of play that took a toll on his career. He was fun to watch and write about. But he also was troubled. And now we are left to wonder why he took his own life.

Freel was found dead at his home in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday afternoon, victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed via the Florida Times-Union. Freel was 36 years old, leaving a wife, Christie, along with three daughters, notes C. Trent Rosecrans of CBS Eye on Baseball.

First Coast News of Jacksonville reported his death first.

Freel played in parts of eight major league seasons, seeing action in 594 games — 544 with the Cincinnati Reds — and four other teams, from 2001-2009. He batted .268/.354/.369 with 143 stolen bases and 22 home runs. He logged most of his innings in the outfield, particularly center, but was known for having enough versatility to play third base and second.

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Muslim Brotherhood Claims Victory in Constitution Vote Amid Fraud

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you! From RT:

Egypt's new Sharia-based constitution has been approved in a second round of voting, the ruling Muslim Brotherhood party said. The country's opposition leveled accusations of fraud, saying it will appeal the referendum results.

The new charter was approved by 64 percent of Egyptian voters in a “resounding victory,” state news agency al-Ahram reported on Sunday. The preliminary tallies were calculated from reports by polling station officials. Egypt's election committee will confirm the final results on Monday.

Egypt's main opposition party the National Salvation Front (NSF) announced Sunday it will appeal the results of the referendum. NSF members alleged there were multiple instances of “fraud and violations” during the voting process.

“The referendum is not the end of the road. It is only one battle,” the NSF’s Abdel Ghaffer Shokr said, pledging to continue “the fight for the Egyptian people.”

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