A massive and sudden tidal wave of mud and water enveloped an Australian city near Brisbane this afternoon, sweeping four people to their death, with serious fears for another three children missing, last seen swept away in the raging torrent.

At least two homes have been destroyed with hundreds more under threat from a bushfire raging out of control about 100km south of Perth.

The blaze - believed to be deliberately lit, broke out just before noon (WST) on Monday.

It raced through a plantation area, threatening properties around Lake Clifton in Waroona shire and then Herron in the City of Mandurah.

Did Venus Once Harbor Life?

1. Fewer tourists

This, to me, is the best reason to break out and choose winter.

2. Cheaper rates

A natural consequence of reason 1, and it applies to everything from the airfare over to hotels and rail tickets on the ground (though probably not around Christmas/New Year).

3. Markets and festivals

4. Atmosphere

Being from south Texas, I appreciate the magic a real winter has in it. I?d love to see Europe through that lens.

5. Winter sports

Then there?s  snowkiting,  snowshoeing,  ice fishing,  extreme sledding, and  ice racing.

6. Indoor attractions

7. The aurora

Check out The Northern Lights: Best Places to See Them in Europe, Canada & Alaska for more info.

8. The temperate south

9. Ice hotels

10. Winter cuisine

Wasabi Kit Kats:  mdid.

It makes no sense! But despite the name and design, these foamy candies, in the vein of circus peanuts in the US, are sweet and fruity.

Red Flags Before A Killing Spree

Different elements can be used to create a sense of emotion in a place. One of the most common to incorporate into a photo is fog. A thick fog can add so much to a shot that when people look at the image, they know exactly what the experience was like when the photo was taken. Getting above the fog on a ridge or mountaintop allows for a clear view of the area with the fog nestled either in a series of mountain ridges or along a river. Even if the river can?t be seen, the fog that fills the area draws the viewer?s eye?maybe even more than the river itself would.

13  photos

All these photographs are copyright to maxxsmart at flickr

Dems, Media Blame Tea Party, Palin for Shooting; Shooter Linked to Leftwing Politics

1. Ice Dinosaurs are a centerpiece from the 2004 Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan. The annual festival attracts around 2 million visitors.
Photo:  Starfires

Vatican City is the world?s smallest independent country. The Vatican mints its own money and also has an efficient postal system. Postage stamps often feature pictures of buildings, famous people and art treasures from the Vatican.

St Basil?s Cathedral: When Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered the Tartars he celebrated by ordering his architects to build a cathedral that would be a ?hymn of joy?. Construction on St Basil?s in Moscow began in 1554. This colorful building was originally painted white.

Do you have an absolute favorite euphemism?
I love European lifestyle for sleeping around. I love at peace with the floor for being drunk. I like go offline for die. A high-school classmate wrote me that somebody he knew used to work for a life-insurance company and when it came time to pay benefits on a policy, they would say the policy holder was postretirement. Some of them are very creative. In the whole field of what wed call bathrooms, the words change: I love where the Queen goes alone. We call them johns, that is because in the 18th century, people used to say they were "going to see Cousin John." In the early 19th century, when John Quincy Adams was in the White House, he was the first one to install an indoor toilet. So then people would start saying, "Im going off to visit Quincy."

Obama promised to close Guantanamo, yet nothing followed up to assure it. Moreover, early in 2011, an Executive Order (EO) will authorize indefinite detentions for longstanding uncharged detainees the administration wont release.

Guantanamo and other US torture prisons are blights on democratic values and fundamental international law that prohibits all forms of torture and abuse at all times with no allowed exceptions.

Astronomers have just announced the discovery of the first planet orbiting another star that is unequivocally not a gas giant: it must be a very dense, rocky-metallic object not much bigger than the Earth!

The planet, discovered by the orbiting Kepler telescope, is called Kepler-10b. The star (Kepler 10) is roughly the same mass and temperature as the Sun, and is located over 500 light years away.

So it?s not terribly earth-like; if you stood on its surface you?d weigh almost 2.5 times what you do now!

And even worse, it?s almost certain the planet is tidally locked to its star, meaning it always shows one face to the star (like the Moon does to the Earth). So the side facing the star is scorching hot and probably glowing brightly with heat, as shown in the artist?s depiction above. This is truly a scary, hellish world.

These incredible inksploding liquid artworks are the brainchild of a British artist who blends her work with cutting-edge science.

The images, which have been compared to visions of alien worlds, have been produced by Pery Burge at her home in the Devonshire countryside.

Burge, 55, of Ottery St Mary, has devoted many hours to perfecting her technique, since she began exploring ink in water forms in 2006, having abandoned paining because she developed repetitive strain injury from traditional brushwork.

V. LEFT-WING MOB HATE ? campus, anti-war radicals, ACORN, eco-extremists & unions

Members of Nelsons equestrian community want dogs kept on leads near the equestrian park at Rough Island, after a second attack by dogs on horses within eight months left a woman seriously injured.

Former Nelson police officer Rosemary Lee-Oldfield and her friend Anna Weeks were riding at Rough Island on Friday afternoon when Ms Lee-Oldfields horse was set upon by two dogs and she was thrown to the ground.

"As soon as they saw us they came straight for our horses. The two of them set on Rosemarys horse and unfortunately she fell off. A few moments later I also fell and our horses took off," Ms Weeks said. She said it had happened very quickly, and while the horses had bolted her main concern was for Ms Lee-Oldfield, who had clearly been badly hurt in the fall.

Ms Weeks was upset the dog owner left the scene, but they were helped by two women nearby who caught their horses before they headed out to the road, and a man walking his dog nearby.

1. The Brooklyn Bridge

New York. USA.

2. The Millau Viaduct

South of France

3. The Helix Bridge

Singapore

 4. The Millenium Bridge

London. UK.

 5. The Rainbow Bridge

Tokyo. Japan.

 6. The Navajo Bridge

Arizona. USA.

 7.The Coronado Bridge

San Diego. USA.

8. The Tower Bridge

London. UK.

 9. The Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge

São Paulo. Brazil.

10. The Pennybacker Bridge

Austin. USA.

the lost art of solitude

?I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers.? ~Henry David Thoreau

Is there someone in your life who consistently makes you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster? Do you know a person who is friendly one day but sulks and withdraws the next? Does a family member or friend consistently procrastinate, postpone, stall, and shut down any emotionally-laden conversations? Are you sometimes that person? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, chances are you may be interacting with a passive aggressive person or showing signs of passive-aggressive behavior yourself.

1. "Im Not Mad."

2. "Fine." "Whatever."

3. "Im Coming!"

4. "I Didnt Know You Meant Now."

5. "You Just Want Everything to be Perfect."

6. "I Thought You Knew."

7. "Sure, Id be Happy To."

8. "Youve Done so Well for Someone with Your Education Level."

9. "I Was Only Joking"

10. "Why Are You Getting So Upset?"

The real message of Loughners book list

Liberals and conservatives claim the alleged killers reading reveals his true ideology. Theyre both wrong

No sooner had the media discovered the YouTube profile page for Jared Lee Loughner -- charged with killing six people, including federal Judge John M. Roll and a 9-year-old girl, and wounding 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in a shooting in Tucson Saturday -- than speculation began about the favorite books Loughner listed there. Conservatives pointed to Loughners citation of "The Communist Manifesto" as proof that he was a leftist maniac and liberals interpreted his enthusiasm for Ayn Rands "We, the Living" as evidence that he was a right-winger.

Microsoft shake-up continues

Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has ousted the head of Microsofts third-largest unit, marking the latest in a series of high-level departures as the software company tries to regain its leadership in the technology sector.

Overtaken by Apple as the worlds most valuable tech company last year, and stung by a stagnant stock price for the last decade, Microsoft has been shaking up its top leadership for several years.

In the past 15 months alone, the company has lost chief software architect Ray Ozzie, office unit head Stephen Elop, entertainment and devices unit head Robbie Bach, and Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell.

The latest to leave is Bob Muglia, a 23-year veteran of the company, who runs Microsofts US$15 billion a year Server and Tools business, which sells server and database software to companies.

An internal memo from Ballmer indicates Muglia was pushed aside in a disagreement over strategy.

AUSTIN, Texas ? A judge ordered former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison Monday for his role in a scheme to illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.

The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The Republican who represented the Houston area was once one of the most powerful people in U.S. politics, ascending to the No. 2 job in the House of Representatives. During a several-minute statement to the judge prior to sentencing, DeLay repeated his longstanding claims that the prosecution was politically motivated and that he never intended to break the law.

"I cant be remorseful for something I dont think I did," DeLay said.

25 Most Colorful Lakes on Earth [pics]

Color is how the human eye perceives the reflection of different spectrums of light. We perceive color just as we perceive taste: sublime, exquisite, horrible and delicious. It provokes us, it enchants us and our whole world revolves around it. Everything from the clothes we wear, to the foods we eat are determined by color.

It?s only fitting then, that we explore some of Mother Nature?s most colorful works. The kaleidoscope of colors presented in this series of spectacular lake images, encapsulate the incredible natural beauty of enclosed expanses of water.

Photo: 1. Turquoise and Blue Lakes >

37 Beautiful And Colorful Butterflies Around The World

Two-Tailed Pasha (one of the largest and most rare butterflies in Europe)

The Princess in Yellow

South American Map Butterfly (Gynacea dirce) Canal Zone, Panama

Soft landing

Small is beautiful

Riodinid Butterfly from Big Falls, Belize

Red butterfly

Red and green attraction

Why Can?t Facebook Get More Than 2 Percent of Japan?s Web Users?

Facebook has almost 600 million users, yet that?s just a flash in the pan compared to how big it could be.

The social media site is still a mere speck on Japan?s online radar?only 2 percent of the country?s online population uses Facebook in comparison with the 60 percent of Internet users in the U.S. who log on, according to Socialbakers.

Why the disparity? A recent article in the New York Times highlights a few reasons.

How the world media covered Gabrielle Giffords shooting

The weekend shooting at point blank range of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a U.S. Congresswoman, continued to lead news bulletins worldwide, from Arizona to Australia, on Sunday.

James the first on Irish Times baby name list

 THERE WAS no contest for the most popular boy?s name in the birth columns of The Irish Times last year with James a clear winner but the most popular girl?s name was evenly split between Anna, Grace, Lucy and Lily/Lilly.

More than 700 birth announcements were made in the Saturday column of this newspaper in 2010. It was a bumper year for twins, with the birth of 26 sets announced.

Whether it was inspired by the actor James Franco, singer James Blunt or man of mystery James Bond, the name James saw a dramatic increase in popularity last year. It previously held the top spot in 2008 but fell out of favour in 2009 when it was replaced by Matthew.

The latter name suffered a similar fate last year, and didn?t feature in the top 10.

In a recent AlterNet article, we detailed how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) helped increase the ?FCC Line Charge? (SLC), now capped at $6.50 per line, that is imposed on every residential and business phone line. It is a charge that is usually hidden among the ?taxes and surcharges? section of the phone bill. It does not go to fund the FCC, but is a direct subsidy to phone companies.

Jared Loughner: Anti-Semitic or Anti-Government?

Gadi Adelman

The Minimalist

Pasta in the Rough

By MARK BITTMAN

Published: January 7, 2011

Pasta Handkerchiefs With Chunky Pesto

The dough, in this case, is of the classic Emilia-Romagna style, loaded with eggs and therefore easy to handle, a lovely color and deliciously rich. You can form a well in the middle of a pile of flour, crack eggs into it and use a fork to slowly and painstakingly incorporate the flour into the eggs ? but the food processor is faster.

Now, however, you must wait, because if you don?t let the dough rest before rolling, it will resist your efforts. After a half-hour or so at room temperature (or longer in your refrigerator), it?ll be more pliable. You can then use a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) to roll the dough out until it is thin. Don?t worry about ragged edges. You cut the dough into squares ? or rectangles or triangles or whatever ? that are boiled until just tender.

On Wednesday, GeaPress reported hundreds -- possibly thousands -- of dead and dying birds in Italy. Countless turtle doves were found scattered in the streets, in flower beds and hanging tragically from trees "like Christmas balls" in the town of Faenza. Many of the birds that fell dead from the sky were discovered with a mysterious blue stain in their beaks.

GeaPress suggests that the blue stains found in mouths of the dead and dying birds in Italy could be the result of poisoning or possibly signs of hypoxia. Both the local forest service and the WWF in Faenza have sent some of the dead birds for testing, though the results likely wont be available for at least a week.

Over 80 dead birds have been found near Quebec City

The National Grid was forced to compensate for the still, cold conditions by cranking up conventional coal and gas-fired power stations.

Helen Chivers, of the Met Office, said cold spells were often accompanied by low winds. ?It is fairly common in winter to have these high pressure systems that bring cold, still conditions over Britain.?

On the coldest day, December 20, the average temperature was minus 5.6C. But just as demand for electricity to heat homes was rising, the winds failed.

But at best, turbines work at just 30 to 40 per cent of their capacity. And in cold winter snaps, often caused by vast, slow-moving high-pressure systems over Northern Europe, winds drop to almost nothing.

Top 10 Places to Be Called "Mom!"

Motherhood has its joys and challenges, and the ratio of one to the other varies wildly depending on where in the world a mom lives. In a list ranking 160 of the best and worst countries on the planet to be a mother, the United States was 28th from the top, according to Save the Children, the international charity that aims to help children in need.

Here is a list of the top 10 best and worst places worldwide to be a mom.

Best Places

1. Norway

2. Australia

3. Iceland

4. Sweden

5. Denmark

6. New Zealand

7. Finland

8. Netherlands

9. Belgium

10. Germany

Worst Places

151. Equatorial Guinea

152. Eritrea

153. Sudan

154. Mali

155. DR Congo

156. Yemen

157. Guinea-Bissau

158. Chad

159. Niger

160. Afghanistan

At 2:00 a.m. on Saturday?about eight hours before he allegedly killed six people and wounded 14, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), in Tucson?Jared Lee Loughner phoned an old and close friend with whom he had gone to high school and college. The friend, Bryce Tierney, was up late watching TV, but he didnt answer the call. When he later checked his voice mail, he heard a simple message from Loughner: "Hey man, its Jared. Me and you had good times. Peace out. Later."

Mother, Father Changing to Parent One, Parent Two on Passport Applications

The words ?mother? and ?father? will be removed from U.S. passport applications and replaced with gender neutral terminology, the State Department says.

?The words in the old form were ?mother? and ?father,?? said Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services. "They are now ?parent one? and ?parent two.?"

A statement on the State Department website noted: ?These improvements are being made to provide a gender neutral description of a child?s parents and in recognition of different types of families.? The statement didnt note if it was for child applications only.

The State Department said the new passport applications, not yet available to the public, will be available online soon.

Sprague said the decision to remove the traditional parenting names was not an act of political correctness. 

When the Left brings up their lies, remind them of some truths? such as?

Remember Chris Matthews fantasizing on air about seeing Rush Limbaugh shot in the head?

The Craig Kilborn Show superimposing the words ?Snipers Wanted? over the face of President George W. Bush.

Nobel ?Peace Prize? winner Betty Williams publicly stating her desire to murder President George W. Bush.

There was a time when Wests idea would have made more sense:

That was then. This is now:

A grown man who requires a helmet to putter around at five miles per hour on a girls bicycle doesnt belong on the same planet as a combat zone.

In a Sign of Foreclosure Flaws, Suits Claim Break-Ins by Banks

When she finally got into the house, it was empty. All of her possessions were gone: furniture, her son?s ski medals, winter clothes and family photos. Also missing was a wooden box, its top inscribed with the words ?Together Forever,? that contained the ashes of her late husband, Robert.

The culprit, Ms. Ash soon learned, was not a burglar but her bank. According to a federal lawsuit filed in October by Ms. Ash, Bank of America had wrongfully foreclosed on her house and thrown out her belongings, without alerting Ms. Ash beforehand.

Some of the cases appear to be mistakes involving homeowners who were up to date on their mortgage ? or had paid off their home ? but who still became targets of a bank.

More common are cases like Ms. Ash?s, in which a homeowner was behind on payments, perhaps trying to work out a modification, when bank crews changed the locks.

Photographers Are NOT Terrorists

However, the right to take photographs seems at war with attempts to restrict photography. The Homeland Security Bureau of the Miami-Dada Police Department published a "Terrorist Awareness Guide" advising citizens to watch out for and report "inappropriate photographs or videos."

An excerpt states: "Maybe you are at a National Monument and you notice a person nearby taking a lot of photos. Not unusual. But then you notice that he is only taking photos of the surveillance cameras, crash barriers at the entrances, and access control procedures. Is that normal for a tourist? Absolutely not!

The following should cause a heightened sense of concern:

?       Unusual interest
?       Surveillance
?       Inappropriate photographs or videos
?       Note-taking
?       Drawing of diagrams
?       Annotating maps

Google CEO Schmidt: No Anonymity Is The Future Of Web

Schmidts message at the Techonomy Conference was that anonymity is a dangerous thing and governments will demand an end to it.

According to ReadWriteWeb, Schmidt said of anti-social behavior, "The only way to manage this is true transparency and no anonymity. In a world of asynchronous threats, it is too dangerous for there not to be some way to identify you. We need a [verified] name service for people. Governments will demand it."

Westboro Baptist Church: ?Thank God For the Shooter?

Homeless man discovers hes oldest person in the world

Homeless man Deraldo Santos has discovered he is the oldest person in the world ? after finding his birth certificate from 1894.

The Brazilian claims he celebrated his 116th birthday last week, making him a year and eight months older than the current holder of the title.

Staff at a homeless shelter in Salvador tracked down his certificate after he moved in, after decades spent living on the street.

?After he said he wanted to stay at the shelter we sent our staff to the register office to pick up his birth certificate.?

?Deraldo knew he was old and even knew when his birthday was but didnt know just how old,? said shelter boss Terezinha Correia da Luz.

?I don?t think they could believe their eyes when they saw the year he was born because he doesn?t look or act his age.?

Is the Ruination of America Possible?

While the United States has suffered the worst recession in living memory, I find that I have very few financial concerns. Many of my friends are in the same position: Most of us attended private schools and good universities, and we will be able to provide these same opportunities to our own children. No one in my immediate circle has a family member serving in Afghanistan or Iraq. In fact, in the aftermath of September 11th, 2001, the only sacrifice we were asked to make for our beloved country was to go shopping.

Even Lost Wars Make Corporations Rich

Power does not rest with the electorate. It does not reside with either of the two major political parties. It is not represented by the press. It is not arbitrated by a judiciary that protects us from predators. Power rests with corporations. And corporations gain very lucrative profits from war, even wars we have no chance of winning. All polite appeals to the formal systems of power will not end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must physically obstruct the war machine or accept a role as its accomplice. 

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report) ? Calls for a reduction in violent political rhetoric have plunged the Fox News Channel into chaos, with a Fox spokesperson warning today that such a move ?would leave us with 24 hours to fill.?

?Let?s not underestimate the giant hole this would create,? said spokesperson Carol Foyler.  ?Fox without violent rhetoric would be like The Weather Channel without maps.?

Ms. Foyler said Fox was preparing for a ?worst-case scenario? in which it was pressured to air responsible statements in place of its current programming: ?If it comes to that, God forbid, we?ll just air 24 hours of ?24?.?

In contrast with Ms. Foyler?s alarmed comments, Fox host Glenn Beck took the news of a possible programming change in stride: ?If I?m kicked off the air, I?ll return to my first love: standing in the back of crowded theaters and yelling, ?Fire.??

Bringing the Bush Six to justice

If those responsible for the Bush administrations torture policy will not face charges in the US, then in Spain it must be

Today, the Centre for Constitutional Rights filed papers encouraging Judge Eloy Velasco and the Spanish national court to do what the United States will not: prosecute the "Bush Six". These are the former senior administration legal advisors, headed by then US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who violated international law by creating a legal framework that materially contributed to the torture of suspected terrorists at US-run facilities at Guantánamo and other overseas locations.

Yellowstone National Park 2 Dollar Bills for Sale - Only $10 plus $11.90 Shipping & Handling

Pothole Gardens

If we planted one of those in every hole, it would be like a forest in the road - Passing Pedestrian.

A series of public installations highlighting the problem of surface imperfections on Britains roads.

And it?s the saturation of our political discourse ? and especially our airwaves ? with eliminationist rhetoric that lies behind the rising tide of violence.

Where?s that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let?s not make a false pretense of balance: it?s coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. It?s hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to be ?armed and dangerous? without being ostracized; but Representative Michele Bachmann, who did just that, is a rising star in the G.O.P.

And there?s a huge contrast in the media. Listen to Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann, and you?ll hear a lot of caustic remarks and mockery aimed at Republicans. But you won?t hear jokes about shooting government officials or beheading a journalist at The Washington Post. Listen to Glenn Beck or Bill O?Reilly, and you will.

When Palins Web site pictured Giffordss 8th District in cross hairs, the congresswoman went on TV to say that "when people do that, theyve got to realize theres consequences to that action."

That?s the principle around which free-market economies are organized. Attempts to grow the economy by government spending can only provide support in the short run. The money borrowed today and confiscated via taxation tomorrow is a transfer from the private sector to the public sector, which has no incentive to spend other people?s money wisely.

When Obama talks about ?growing the economy,? one can see the ghost of John Maynard Keynes rising from the grave. Lord Keynes, who developed the theory without coining the phrase, generally returns at times of economic crisis to advise the current occupant of the White House on how to borrow and spend our way to prosperity. Spending revives the economy, which reduces government transfer payments (unemployment compensation, for example) and raises tax revenues, according to Keynes?s theory.

In the real world, of course, the more you ?grow the economy,? the less you have to show for it.

Target: Republican Sarah Palins style of politics has been the focus of much criticism by Democrats

Conservatives have come to despise liberals, and vice versa, with an intensity the like of which few can recall. Right-wing anger with the high-spending Obama administration?s handling of the financial crisis, a weak economy and high unemployment has prompted thousands of ordinary Americans to break away from conventional two-party politics to support the Tea Party movement with its call for small government.

As the name (a reference to the 1773 Boston Tea Party) implies, Tea Party supporters see their movement as rooted in the rebellion against George III, and the language has ­inevitably been full of ­military metaphor.

Political act: American flags fly at half mast on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington in memory of the victims of Saturdays mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona

THERE GOES MY FIRST LOVE- THE DRIFTERS

Theyre all going to say Jared Loughner is crazy -- especially the right-wing hate talkers and Sarah Palin defenders who everybodys looking at right now. And you know what? Theyre right. But that doesnt mean theyre blameless, either.

But if we examine the trail of videos and assorted writings he left behind in recent years, its clear that his politics took quite a different swerve to the other side of the road in recent years: it is abundantly clear that hes now a devoted anti-government conspiracist. In particular, he seems to have developed an obsession with that classic right-wing conspiracy theory: the belief that American currency, since going off the gold standard, has become "fiat money" based on nothing. Likewise, he seems to have bought into beliefs about "government mind control" quite common to right-wing conspiracy theorists.

Grüner See or the Green Lake in Austria is actually a small valley filled with freshwater during the snow melt from May to July. It is located in Tragöß, Styria, which sits at the foot of snow-capped Hochschwab mountains. And it is beautiful!

Throughout the frozen winter months the area is almost completely dry and is used as a county park. It is a particular favorite site for hikers.
But as soon as the temperatures begin to rise in spring, the ice and snow on the mountaintops begins to melt and runs down into the basin of land below.

The park fills up with ice-cold crystal clear water, which gets its distinctive green coloring from the grass and foliage beneath.
The water levels rise from about one or two meters deep in the winter to as much as 10 meters in the late spring and early summer.

Paper Cups Machines

The diplomats recommend "specific actions" to bring EU actions in the occupied territory in line with the blocs stated policy on East Jerusalem. The recommendations include:

• EU officials and politicians should refuse to visit Israeli government offices or facilities located in occupied East Jerusalem
• Israeli settlers who forcibly move into Palestinian areas of Jerusalem could be refused entry into EU countries
• A boycott of Israeli products from East Jerusalem
• Ensuring an EU presence when there is a risk of demolitions or evictions of Palestinian families, and at Israeli court cases on demolitions or evictions
• Ensuring EU intervention when Palestinians are arrested or intimidated by Israeli authorities for peaceful cultural, social or political activities in East Jerusalem

However, Jennifer Griffin of Fox News recklessly and irresponsibly claimed on Sunday morning that the killer was a political conservative. Using Obama officials as her sources, she reported that ?intelligence gathered by the Department of Homeland Security and shared with state officials across the United States? had revealed ?a strong suspicion? that the shooter was influenced by a conservative publication called American Renaissance (AR).

This publication is on the right side of the political spectrum and is politically incorrect because of its criticism of racial preference and ?diversity? programs and immigration policies that weaken the strength of a country. It has scheduled a Feb. 4?Feb. 6, 2011, conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dropbox Shell is a handy little utility for Windows that makes it a bit easy for you to transfer files from the desktop (or Windows Explorer) to the main Dropbox folder.

Send files without installing Dropbox Shell

You may also replicate the functionality of Dropbox Shell Tools using the Windows ?Send To? folder without installing anything extra. Just follow these easy steps:

Step 1. Launch Windows Explorer (Windows key + E) and paste the following string in the address bar to open the current user?s Send To folder.

%APPDATA%MicrosoftWindowsSendTo

Step 2. Right-click inside the SendTo folder, choose New ?> Shortcut and under location, browse to your ?My Dropbox? folder (screenshot). This should add a new shortcut in the SendTo folder pointing to your local Dropbox folder.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2010) ? A new meta-analysis study conducted by Syracuse University Professor Stephanie Ortigue reveals falling in love can elicit not only the same euphoric feeling as using cocaine, but also affects intellectual areas of the brain. Researchers also found falling in love only takes about a fifth of a second.

The study also shows different parts of the brain fall for love. For example, unconditional love, such as that between a mother and a child, is sparked by the common and different brain areas, including the middle of the brain. Passionate love is sparked by the reward part of the brain, and also associative cognitive brain areas that have higher-order cognitive functions, such as body image.

The findings raise the question: "Does the heart fall in love, or the brain?"

Obama seems to be doing everything in his power to increase the price of gasoline, oil and all forms of energy in America.

Oil prices are rising high enough to send the fragile US economy into a double dip recession. The economy runs on energy and rising costs for oil work their way into almost every product and service.

It is economic suicide to use a disproved theory of global warming as an excuse to minimize energy production of our own US resources. The EPA is waging a war on oil.

WOODWARD, Oklahoma -- The Woodward Fire Department was called out at 7:24 Tuesday morning to rescue an 8-year-old boy whose tongue was frozen to a pole.

Firefighter Shane Pingry said firefighters arrived on the scene at 7:27 a.m. to find the boy standing on his tiptoes with his tongue frozen to the pole of a stop sign across the street from the Woodward Middle School.

A teacher saved the day with a bottle of drinking water. Firefighters poured it on the boys tongue and it took about a minute before the boy was free.

Pingry estimated the boy had been stuck to the pole for about 10 minutes. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

When asked why hed stuck his tongue to the pole in such cold weather, the boy said it was because his older brother had dared him to do it.

The tweets are stunning, disturbing, and downright shocking.

After the left shamelessly began its campaign to connect Saturday?s shooting to Sara Palin, Twitter users quickly picked up on the sentiment and responded with violent, hateful speech. Some were succinct: ?I hope Sarah Palin dies.? Others were prophetic: ?So?will everyone be satisfied then when Palin is assassinated? You know she?s next.? And some were downright vulgar: ?Palin is a murdering bi*** who deserves a crosshair on HER house so Al-Qaeda can come shoot HER family. See how that feels, republican trash.?

[CONTENT WARNING: Some of the language is extremely graphic and disturbing.]

WATCH VIDEO HERE:  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/01/10/rep_clyburn_readi...

Scientists show how the brain reacts to favourite tunes

Ever had goosebumps or felt euphoric chills when listening to a piece of music? If so, your brain is reacting to the music in the same way as it would to some delicious food or a psychoactive drug such as cocaine, according to scientists.

The experience of pleasure is mediated in all these situations by the release of the brains reward chemical, dopamine, according to results of experiments carried out by a team led by Valorie Salimpoor of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, which are published today in Nature Neuroscience.

GOP Plays Games With Health Care Disclosures

The Lame Stream Media and the hypocrite Democrats were outraged when Sarah Palin put this on her Facebook page:

Well it looks like the Democrats did the same thing, this was their ?targets for Democratic gains in 2004?:

The loss of genetic seed diversity facing us today may lead to a catastrophe far beyond our imagining. The Irish potato famine, which led to the death or displacement of two and a half million people in the 1840s, is an example of what can happen when farmers rely on only a few plant species as crop cornerstones.

One blight wiped out the single potato type that came from deep in the Andes mountains; it did not have the necessary resistance. If the Irish had planted different varieties of potatoes, one type would have most likely resisted the blight.

We can help save heirloom seeds by learning how to buy and save these genetically diverse jewels ourselves.

ABOUT SEEDS
One kind of seed, called First generation hybrids (F1 hybrids), have been hand-pollinated, and are patented, often sterile, genetically identical within food types, and sold from multinational seed companies.

Ambassador Agents Get Personal In Order to Forge Meaningful Relationships and Build Trust

RISMEDIA, January 11, 2011?These are interesting times we live in. Ironically, in an age where technology has made it possible to instantly connect with copious amounts of people 24/7, we are simultaneously experiencing a big deficit when it comes to trust.

Maybe it?s all the negative things people are communicating about. Let?s face it?there doesn?t seem to be enough good news to go around these days. As a result, people are less trusting, more guarded, and, truthfully, sometimes just plain hostile to all the noise out there.

Student Edward Woollard jailed for 32 months for throwing fire extinguisher in tuition fees riot

A sixth-form student was jailed for two years and eight months today after he admitted throwing a fire extinguisher from a roof during a riot.

Edward Woollard, 18, joined protesters who stormed inside the Millbank complex in London that houses the Tory Party headquarters on November 10.

He was filmed throwing an empty metal fire extinguisher from a seventh-floor rooftop as hundreds of people gathered in a courtyard below.

Woollard, of Dibden Purlieu, Hampshire, will serve at least half of his sentence for violent disorder in a young offenders institution.

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC told Woollard the public had a right to protection from violence.

He also praised the teenagers mother for encouraging him to give himself up to police after he was pictured by media organisations during the rioting.

Miriam OReilly: I was right to stand up to BBC

Former Countryfile presenter Miriam OReilly said today after winning her age discrimination case against the BBC that "standing up" to the corporation was "the right thing to do".

OReilly, 53, added that the BBC was "one of the best broadcasting organisations in the world", but had treated her badly due to her age. "It wasnt about the money. I just wanted my career back," she said, warning that the TV industry still has "a long way" to go in eliminating ageism.

OReilly won an employment tribunal against the BBC on the grounds of age discrimination and victimisation, after she was dropped from BBC1s Countryfile show along with three other female presenters. A third charge of sex discrimination was not upheld.

Researchers have found fruits and vegetables that contain carotenoids give skin a tan-like glow. The study, reported in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, showed that, when given a choice, participants preferred the carotenoid skin color over suntanned skin.

?If you want a healthier and more attractive skin color, you are better off eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables than lying in the sun,? says Ian Stephen, study leader and a researcher at the University of Nottingham. Stephen conducted the study as part of his PhD at the University of St. Andrews and Bristol University.

Single use-chopsticks are a notable waste issue in China - roughly 100 trees a day must be felled to create the little, wooden eating utensils. In response to the atrocities being subjected to these innocent trees, the China Environmental Protection Foundation has assembled the ghostly remains of meals past into a full-sized chopstick tree. An impressive sculpture standing beautiful and tall, this was actually far from the message they hoped to convey. So what did they do to get their point across? They broke it and handed out reusable chopstick sets and statistics near the slain tree.

Looking for love online? Covering your flaws might be the wrong move.

According to numbers crunched by dating site OKCupid, women who get mixed reactions tend to get more messages.

The site lets users rate potential partners by using one to five stars, with five signifying the most attractive. So if a user receives an average of about three to four stars, her profile would be considered above-average. As OKCupids blog points out, though, a 3.5 rating doesnt always mean the same thing. If every user voted Mary a 3 or a 4, she would be "cute" across the board. But if Jane receives mainly 5 votes and 1 votes but still gets the same average, shes either loved or hated. Women like Jane tend to get the most messages, even though Mary is more universally liked.

By Ann DArtry Delaroche

My lover and I are face to face, and intimate; kissing, laughing, and joyous. We make love, and pillow-talk nonsense. I open my eyes and stare into the dark. I am alone. I close my eyes; the light and his presence are strong. We are two seas and a thousand kilometres apart. This is my initiation into psychic sex.

The Holy Ghost is the most famous incubus, the male supernatural being who visits slumbering women by night. Catholic pre-marriage guidance teaches that the Holy Ghost is the third presence in the marital bedroom but otherwise warns against contact with such beings, citing health risks, even death. Perhaps this is no more than an attempt to colonise the supernatural and corral the infinity of soul within prescribed boundaries.

39 Percent Of NYC Pregnancies Result In Abortion

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) ? Archbishop Timothy Dolan is calling for efforts to make abortions in New York City ?rare.?

Dolan gathered with other religious leaders on Thursday to draw attention to the city?s high abortion rate. The city health department last month released statistics that showed 39 percent of pregnancies ended with induced termination in 2009.

In 2009, there were 225,667 pregnancies in the City with 126,774 resulting in live births and 87,273 resulting in abortions. In addition to those abortion numbers, there were 11,620 spontaneous terminations.

Forty-six percent of all births in the Bronx result in abortions?the highest among the five boroughs, according to the report.

Blacks had the highest number of abortions with 40,798 with Hispanics having the second highest at 28,364, according to the report.

When a group of dog rescuers arrived at the market to show the dogs available for adoption, somebody had left 12 puppies on the street ? 8 of them were approximately 5 weeks old.

Very carefully, the rescuers placed the puppies closer to her.

Scores missing in tsunami-like flood in Australia

BRISBANE, Australia ? Greg Kowald was driving through the center of Toowoomba when a terrifying, tsunami-like wall of water roared through the streets of the northeast Australian city.

Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pennsylvania, said he will introduce legislation making it a federal crime for a person to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a Member of Congress or federal official.

Brady?s decision to offer the legislation comes less than 24 hours after a gunman attempted to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, in a shooting that claimed the lives of a federal judge, and a nine year-old girl, among others.

Video: Democrat Robert Brady To Introduce Legislation To Make Rhetoric Like Sarah Palin?s Illegal

Congressman Robert Brady along with his Democrat cohorts want nothing less than the shredding of the Constitution.

OLD BARNS AND OLD PEOPLE