Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg should reconsider his opposition to the school holidays. ?It?s an election year,? he said.

Spurred by a broad coalition of religious, labor and immigrant groups, the City Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Tuesday to add two of the most important Muslim holy days to the public schools? holiday calendar.

But the vote, which was nonbinding, put the Council in conflict with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has the final say to designate the days off and has said he is resolutely opposed to the idea.

The mayor told reporters before the vote that not all religions could be accommodated on the holiday schedule, only those with ?a very large number of kids who practice.?

The current school calendar recognizes major Christian and Jewish holy days like Christmas and Yom Kippur, but no Muslim holy days.

Marriage and motherhood -- its the dream that begins in childhood for many women. Yet more African-American women are deciding to adopt instead of waiting for a husband, says Mardie Caldwell, founder of Lifetime Adoption, an adoption referral and support group in Penn Valley, California.

That pressure can cause some African-American women to rush into a marriage with a man they should not partner with, says Kenyatta Morrisey, a 34-year-old mother of three adopted children in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company, 118 U.S. 394

Mind Uploading and Mind Children

Wallpaper mix (68 pics)

DEMOCRAT DESTROYERS: FBI "ABSOLUTELY NO TRUTH" to Leftwing Lily Livered Lies, Libels Against Palin

This beauty is Shannyn Moore, Puff Ho libel blogger.

The notoriously left wing LA Times reports that the FBI reports that there is  is "absolutely no truth" to the lies being spread by force of nature Sarah Palin. Palin scares the malevolent to death. Palin is the silver cross to the Democrats Dracula.

In case you missed this, read it:
Palin in 2012!Exclusive: Pamela Geller lauds Sarah for assuming the mantle of leadership vs. Obama --WND

UPDATE:  Gary gets it

I hope Palin sues just to shut these fat bastids up.

Surgeons reattach carpenters sawn-off penis

IRANIAN REVOLUTION DAY 23: Neda Soltani, The Symbol of Iranian Resistance, was a Christian

9:27 pm: Tehran 04:00 am (July 6) : 3 people Executed in Mashhad Prison

3;31 pm: Who will stand with Iranians? Afshin Molavi at Ray Man Kojast

1:30 pm: The revolution in Iran has just begun

In the medias ongoing campaign to institute the agenda of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and advance Islam, it has been previously withheld from the public that Neda Soltani was a Christian.

That Neda was a Christian is ample proof that everyone in Iran who took to the streets was marching for different reasons but certainly under the umbrella of  liberty and one man one vote. How vile to imply that millions marched for the inside politicking of Islamic cleric rule. Her religion flies in the face of every cold blooded pundit who has attempted to dismiss this historic movement as simply more sharia in shades of green. Photo hat tip Robert via PI)

Subliminal Messages Motivate People To Actually Do Things They Already Wanted To Do

Over 800 pages of the earliest surviving Christian Bible have been recovered and made available on the internet.

More than half of the 1,600-year-old Codex Sinaiticus manuscript has been pieced together in a joint effort between institutions in the UK, Germany, Egypt and Russia.

Now high-resolution digital images of the recovered pages of the 4th century book - written in Greek on parchment leaves - have been made available at www.codexsinaiticus.org.

The project, which took four years to realise, used cutting-edge technology to reunite ancient pages, which have been kept in separate locations for more than 150 years.

In a collaboration between the British Library, Leipzig University Library, the National Library of Russia and the Monastery of St Catherine in Egypt, each of which hold different parts of the book, high-quality digital photographs were taken of each of the 800-odd pages.

People Sometimes Seek The Truth, But Most Prefer Like-minded Views

The researchers found that people are about twice as likely to select information that supports their own point of view (67 percent) as to consider an opposing idea (33 percent). Certain individuals, those with close-minded personalities, are even more reluctant to expose themselves to differing perspectives, Albarracín said. They will opt for the information that corresponds to their views nearly 75 percent of the time.

Avoid toxic people

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5 Things That Are Holding You Back in Life

5 things that hold you back in life

1. Fear
Fear is the number one thing that will hold you back in life. And fear comes in primarily two forms:

Anyone who is in any way surprised by Sarah Palins announcement today that she will not be seeking re-election, and, even more significantly, is stepping down as Governor of Alaska, has not been paying close attention. The signs have been everywhere.

Palin has absolutely zero interest in running the State of Alaska. She steadfastly refused to live in Juneau after her first year there, had the gall to charge the state for residing at her home in Wasilla 600 miles away, and she basically mailed in her performance as the states top administrator during Alaskas most recent legislative session. She has alienated virtually all the key legislators in her own party -- thats right, Republicans -- and had failed to move any key legislation forward since her return to Alaska from the national campaign trail last November.

More people over the age of 60 die each year from malnutrition, respiratory diseases and tuberculosis than any other age group, including children aged 0-14.

Yet, the older poor remain largely sidelined by their governments and unreached by most development aid.

Orthodox Jews are angry at the local councils decision to open a municipal carpark on Saturdays - or Shabbat, the day of rest for Jews.

The Human Face, Up Close and Personal

The face, with its intricate lace of 33 different muscles, is a powerful gateway to human emotion and thus the subject of relentless research aiming to pin down how and why we express our inner selves on that living canvas. Here are 3 fascinating projects that probe what lies beneath.

THAT?S MY FACE

KABUL, Afghanistan -- As Marine Corps forces roll into southern Afghanistan, they face an enemy familiar to US officials -- Mullah Zakir, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who now leads a reconstituted Taliban.

Abdul Qayum Zakir, also known as Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, is from Helmand Province and has taken a circuitous route to become head of the radical Islamic group.

In 2001, he surrendered to US and Afghan forces in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif as the regime was collapsing. He spent the next several years in custody, was transferred to Guantanamo around 2006, then to Afghanistan government custody in late 2007, and was eventually released around May 2008. American officials wont say why he was let go and have not released a photograph of him.

FBI spokesman: Were not investigating Palin

(CNN) -- The FBI, in a rare response to rampant rumors on the Internet, said it is not investigating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on public corruption charges.

"Normally, we dont confirm or deny those kind of allegations out there. But, by not doing so, it just casts her in a very bad light," said FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, who confirmed for CNN the statement he made to the Anchorage Daily News. "There is just no truth to those rumors out there in the blogosphere."

The speculation began almost immediately after Palins unexpected announcement on Friday that she would step down as Alaskas chief executive with 18 months left in her term.

Some analysts think Palin will seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, and that her resignation is intended to free her to prepare.

Berry Delicious

Cockroaches may be tiny enough to slip through the smallest of cracks, but just like humans, these eternal pests can get fat on an unhealthy diet.

As part of a decades worth of research on cockroaches, Patricia Moore of the University of Exeter studied how female cockroaches change their mating behavior in response to their diet, specifically what they eat when they are young.

"We already knew that what they eat as adults influences reproductive decisions," Moore said. But just how the food they consumed early in life shaped these decisions wasnt known.

In Crystal Beach Park Arena in the small rural town of Woodward, Oklahoma, population 12,000, the Freedom Ring 2009 festival was held. 9,200 tickets were sold. The organizers said that 14,000 enthusiastic supporters attended the event, and it was standing room only for President Bushs address to the crowd.

Bush spoke to thunderous applause and six standing ovations. Bush called the U.S. the ??greatest nation on the face of the earth." (Has Obama issued an arrest warrant for insulting other nations?)

During a 30-minute speech mostly devoid of political references -- he mentioned his successor, Barack Obama, just once in passing -- Bush thanked members of the military, spoke about the bravery of injured soldiers hed met and told stories of people in difficult situations helping others.

Car manufacturers spend millions, if not billions, developing and testing every nuance of a new car, but in the showroom many buying decisions come down to image. And while the odd aesthetic mishap occurs, looking back on the sheer number of ugly vehicles, it seems implausible that none of these monstrosities were halted before leaving the drawing board. The sad fact is that quite a few of these design disasters led to some good cars, many of which were overlooked and left unloved in the showrooms. See what you think of our gallery.

Daily Christian Quote

Honduras at the Tipping Point

Mr. Zelayas violations of the rule of law in recent months were numerous. But the tipping point came 10 days ago, when he led a violent mob that stormed a military base to seize and distribute Venezuelan-printed ballots for an illegal referendum.

Mr. Chávez had already rewritten the Venezuelan Constitution, taken over the judiciary and the national electoral council (CNE), militarized the government, and staked out an aggressive, anti-American foreign policy promising to spread his revolution around the hemisphere.

The California morass has Democrats in Washington trembling. The reason is simple. If Obama?s health-care plan passes, then we may well end up paying for it with federal slips of paper worth less than California?s. Obama has bet everything on passing health care this year. The publicity surrounding the California debt fiasco almost assures his resounding defeat.

Hedgerows and road junctions, houses and harbour walls are shot from above to form all 26 letters of the Latin alphabet.

The pictures were taken in every corner of the country, from an A-shaped woodland in Leigh, Kent, to a Z-shaped hedge in Cauldon Low, Staffordshire.

A Scottish farm complex surrounds a perfect I-shaped field in Invergordon, Ross-Shire, while the town of North Ramsey on the Isle of Man serves up a clear-cut W.

Also featured in the aerial alphabet are the North Yorkshire moors, Gatwick Airport, London, and a winding Welsh river.

Previous attempts to create a perfect photographic alphabet include one A to Z formed of human bodies and another spelled out in light-writing.

Calif. regulators warn of pots cancer capability

Live soccer Concacaf Gold Cup 2009 Live TV | online TV | Internet TV | Web TV

Malalai Joya

For many women, the difference between life and death is a piece of string, a clean razor blade, a fresh bandage and a bar of soap. Thats why a pitiful amount of money can save a woman, or a newborn baby, or both. And thats why, while the Australian government is expending hundreds of millions of dollars fighting a war in Afghanistan, civilian volunteers in Australia are sending thousands of simple birthing kits (bandage, blade, string, soap, plastic sheet) to Afghanistan, because it is one of the most oppressive places in the world to be a woman.

Last Wednesday, 500 people gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney for a glimpse of this reality. The event was sold out. The speaker was a young, attractive former member of the Afghan parliament, Malalai Joya, 31, the author of a new memoir, Raising My Voice. She gave the audience a taste of the new front line of feminism, the women fighting and dying for their freedom.

Chinese police have uncovered seven "terrorist cells" operating in the countrys westernmost region of Xinjiang, an area that has seen simmering resentment against Chinese rule, state media has said.

According to the China Daily newspaper, the "cells" were based in the Kashgar, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The report said all members of the groups had been arrested, but gave no further details.

Chinese officials regularly say they have uncovered terrorist groups or foiled plots in Xinjiang, but few details are usually given.

Human rights groups have accused Chinese authorities of using allegations of terrorism to suppress peaceful pro-independence sentiment among Xinjiangs indigenous ethnic Uighurs.

The Uighurs, Turkic-speaking Muslims, are distinct from Chinas ethnic majority Han who increasingly dominate economic life in Xinjiang.

Once the selection has been made the position of each colour (1-8) is analysed to reveal the main personality traits of the respondent at the time of the selection, with the colours placed in first and eighth position being the most significant.

1. Penguins can jump 6 feet in the air.

2. A group of Kangaroos is called a mob.

4. Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards.

5. Beavers can hold their breathe for 45 minutes under water.

6. The smallest bird in the world is the Humming Bird. It weighs less than 1 oz (or 28g).

7. A bear can run at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).

8. Elephants are the only animal that can?t jump.

9. Polar bears are left handed.

10. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

11. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

12. Tigers have striped skin not just striped fur.

13. Reindeer eat moss because it contains a chemical that stops their body from freezing.

14.The coyote?s scientific name (Canis Latrans) means ?barking dog?.

15. Snakes can see through their eyelids.

16. A Woodpecker can peck 20 times per second.

17. Woodpeckers don?t get headaches from all that pecking. Their skulls have air pockets to cushion the brain.

18. The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head 360 degrees.

San Franciscan Dana Davis was one of several hundred folks to file -- and you really do file -- into the cramped greenhouse to take a whiff of the corpse flower. Two of the compounds it emits -- putricine and cadaverine -- are the same chemicals produced by rotting flesh. They dont call it a corpse flower for nothing.

The Florida research, carried out on mice, also suggested caffeine hampered the production of the protein plaques which are the hallmark of the disease.

Previous research has also suggested a protective effect from caffeine.

But British experts said the Journal of Alzheimers disease study did not mean that dementia patients should start using caffeine supplements.

Dr Gary Arendash, who led the latest study, told the BBC: "The results are particularly exciting in that a reversal of pre-existing memory impairment is more difficult to achieve.

The team now hope to begin human trials of caffeine to see if the mouse findings are replicated in people.

Alternative title: ?Jumping to Conclusions and Bullshit?

Stunning art, UFOs not included (© Lucy Pringle)

Crop circles are amazing. They are, quite literally, works of art. And like all other known forms of art, they are constructed by people with time on their hands. No UFOs have been braiding our crops, no aliens have been playing let?s-confuse-the-stoopid-humans-with-this-cryptic-message-we-travelled-hundreds-of-light-years-to-deliver. Crop circles are made by hoaxers and enthusiasts.

So yesterday, I read a terribly fascinating, yet terribly painful article that seamlessly combines three disparate facts to arrive at a terribly flawed conclusion: a coronal mass ejection (CME) will hit us on July 7th, possibly causing global damage, according to a crop circle prediction.

This may seem a little shocking, considering this equivalent of a micro-doomsday is only two days from now, but the ?Exopolotics Examiner? Dr. Michael Salla discusses it with great excitement:

Uighur Muslims riot as ethnic tensions rise in China

Protests over deaths of workers turn violent as mobs burn buses and attack residents from ethnic minorities in western province

The western Chinese region of Xinjiang experienced the biggest display of ethnic unrest in recent memory today as thousands of Muslim Uighurs took to the streets in protest.

Theres a terrible situation today. There were big ethnic riots - there was a lot of fighting," said one Han resident.

"Its very dangerous so you cant go into the centre at all. Its the Uighurs causing violence," complained a Han businessman, who said he was unable to get home because of the blocks.

Muslim Uighurs are the indigenous ethnic majority of Xinjiang, but the region has experienced an influx of Han Chinese seeking to profit from the regions oil and gas resources, which has stirred up ethnic resentment.