Christian Nurse Ordered to Remove Cross, at Hospital that allows Muslim Headscarves

by: Luke Salkeld


A Christian nurse was ‘forced to choose between her job and her faith’ after being ordered to remove her crucifix at a hospital where Muslim staff wore headscarves unchallenged, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Shirley Chaplin, 54, said she had been wearing the religious symbol around her neck without complaint for 31 years before she was ordered to hide it away.

But the grandmother claims that after refusing to comply and then pointing out that two women doctors were allowed to wear headscarves, she was moved to a desk job.

Her case has caused uproar among Christian support groups, who feel their beliefs are not being given the same respect as other faiths. At the weekend her case against the NHS was backed by seven senior Anglican bishops who issued a national letter of support.

Yesterday, on the first day of an employment tribunal, Mrs Chaplin, from Kenn, near Exeter, Devon, told of her fight to be allowed to carry on wearing the crucifix.

She is claiming religious discrimination in a case backed by the Christian Legal Centre, which says her treatment is a symptom of increasing discrimination against Christians.

Mrs Chaplin is due to retire later this year but hopes the case will force the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to change its policy so staff can openly wear crucifixes.

The hospital says she was asked to remove the necklace after a risk assessment showed it could be pulled by one of the patients in her care. They insist it is a health and safety issue and that the problem is not with the crucifix but the necklace it is attached to.

Mrs. Chaplin told the tribunal in Exeter she was given the crucifix as a confirmation.





Fighting for the right to wear her cross:
Mrs. Chaplin is being supported by the Church of England community including Reverend John Eustice, left, and barrister Paul Diamond

"The crucifix is an exceptionally important expression of my faith and my belief in Lord Jesus Christ," she said. "The cross must be worn visibly otherwise my reasons for wearing it are severely undermined."

"There were no issues until I was asked to remove it in the summer of 2009."

Mrs. Chaplin said she took the request as an attack on her faith, pointing out that the health and safety threat caused by the crucifix was negligible.

Her superiors refused a suggestion she wear the cross pinned to her uniform, to remove the "risk" of the chain. She said this confirmed to her that "they simply wanted to remove the visibility of the crucifix."

"I was distressed and in fear of having to choose between my faith and my job."

She added: "I identified two female Muslim doctors permitted to wear a headscarf, which raises more profound health and safety issues."

Mrs. Chaplin said she was later called to a series of meetings during which she pointed out that the hospital’s in-house literature shows staff wearing necklaces. But she was moved to a non-clinical job in September under threat of disciplinary action.

In a letter to a Sunday newspaper, seven bishops including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr George Carey, said the case was a further example of discrimination against their faith and demanded the Government take action to protect Christians.

Girls Flock to Trampy Prom Dresses

By: ANNIE KARNI



Prom is going porn this year.

The days of dressing like a lady are over -- with teens preferring to parade around at their first big dance looking more like strippers than schoolgirls.

The hot trend is slutty chic -- with cleavage-revealing frocks, bellybutton-baring gowns and dresses made of barely enough fabric to make a washcloth.

"I can't believe that mothers let high-school girls buy these dresses for prom," said one sales associate at Saks Fifth Avenue, embarrassed to be selling a collection of prom dresses that were more appropriate for the main stage at Scores than a high-school gym.

Nathan Vaknin, manager of Fiesta Ladies Fashion, a dress store on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, said, "For prom this year, girls want short and poofy or long, tight-fitting, with everything cut out -- the sides are gone, the back is gone, the front is basically gone.

"Personally, I think it's too much, but we sell whatever puts money in our pocket," he said.

"The parents might say no at first, but I don't think anyone can convince these girls to get a dress besides the one they really want."



At Saks, one of the most popular prom dresses this season is a $380 floor-length leopard print La Femme dress that is backless and practically frontless with a diamond cut out between the breasts.

Girls are also coveting a Panoply dress with the sides cut out and a plunging neckline that sells for $370 on the Web.

Perhaps the most shocking dress available this year is the Nadia, designed by Boutique. The stretch-satin dress -- whose front dips to just above the pubic bone -- retails online for $349.

The city Department of Education doesn't impose a dress code for proms. It's up to each principal to make a judgment call about acceptable attire.

At Christopher Columbus HS in The Bronx, Principal Lisa Maffei-Fuentes inspects every dress herself.

"I check all of the dresses to make sure their body parts are covered," Maffei-Fuentes said. "They're not allowed to wear anything where their breasts are exposed. It can't be very short, and their rear ends can't be exposed."

Maffei-Fuentes has the girls show her pictures of their dresses before the big day. On May 26, when the school will hold its prom, Maffei-Fuentes will be at the door to make sure no outfits are breaking her rules.

"I watch them walk in," she said. "If they're wearing something inappropriate, I send them home or we fix the dress with pins, thread and needles."

20 Ways ObamaCare Will Take Away Our Freedoms

by: David Hogberg

With House Democrats [passing] the Senate health care bill with some reconciliation changes [], it is worthwhile to take a comprehensive look at the freedoms we will lose.

Of course, the overhaul is supposed to provide us with security. But it will result in skyrocketing insurance costs and physicians leaving the field in droves, making it harder to afford and find medical care. We may be about to live Benjamin Franklin’s adage, “People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.”

The sections described below are taken from HR 3590 as agreed to by the Senate and from the reconciliation bill as displayed by the Rules Committee.

1. You are young and don’t want health insurance? You are starting up a small business and need to minimize expenses, and one way to do that is to forego health insurance? Tough. You have to pay $750 annually for the “privilege.” (Section 1501)

2. You are young and healthy and want to pay for insurance that reflects that status? Tough. You’ll have to pay for premiums that cover not only you, but also the guy who smokes three packs a day, drink a gallon of whiskey and eats chicken fat off the floor. That’s because insurance companies will no longer be able to underwrite on the basis of a person’s health status. (Section 2701).

3. You would like to pay less in premiums by buying insurance with lifetime or annual limits on coverage? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer such policies, even if that is what customers prefer. (Section 2711).

4. Think you’d like a policy that is cheaper because it doesn’t cover preventive care or requires cost-sharing for such care? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer policies that do not cover preventive services or offer them with cost-sharing, even if that’s what the customer wants. (Section 2712).

5. You are an employer and you would like to offer coverage that doesn’t allow your employers’ slacker children to stay on the policy until age 26? Tough. (Section 2714).

6. You must buy a policy that covers ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services; chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care.

You’re a single guy without children? Tough, your policy must cover pediatric services. You’re a woman who can’t have children? Tough, your policy must cover maternity services. You’re a teetotaler? Tough, your policy must cover substance abuse treatment. (Add your own violation of personal freedom here.) (Section 1302).

7. Do you want a plan with lots of cost-sharing and low premiums? Well, the best you can do is a “Bronze plan,” which has benefits that provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 60% of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan. Anything lower than that, tough. (Section 1302 (d) (1) (A))

8. You are an employer in the small-group insurance market and you’d like to offer policies with deductibles higher than $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families? Tough. (Section 1302 (c) (2) (A).

9. If you are a large employer (defined as at least 101 employees) and you do not want to provide health insurance to your employee, then you will pay a $750 fine per employee (It could be $2,000 to $3,000 under the reconciliation changes). Think you know how to better spend that money? Tough. (Section 1513).

10. You are an employer who offers health flexible spending arrangements and your employees want to deduct more than $2,500 from their salaries for it? Sorry, can’t do that. (Section 9005 (i)).

11. If you are a physician and you don’t want the government looking over your shoulder? Tough. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to use your claims data to issue you reports that measure the resources you use, provide information on the quality of care you provide, and compare the resources you use to those used by other physicians. Of course, this will all be just for informational purposes. It’s not like the government will ever use it to intervene in your practice and patients’ care. Of course not. (Section 3003 (i))

12. If you are a physician and you want to own your own hospital, you must be an owner and have a “Medicare provider agreement” by Feb. 1, 2010. (Dec. 31, 2010 in the reconciliation changes.) If you didn’t have those by then, you are out of luck. (Section 6001 (i) (1) (A))

13. If you are a physician owner and you want to expand your hospital? Well, you can’t (Section 6001 (i) (1) (B). Unless, it is located in a country where, over the last five years, population growth has been 150% of what it has been in the state (Section 6601 (i) (3) ( E)). And then you cannot increase your capacity by more than 200% (Section 6001 (i) (3) (C)).

14. You are a health insurer and you want to raise premiums to meet costs? Well, if that increase is deemed “unreasonable” by the Secretary of Health and Human Services it will be subject to review and can be denied. (Section 1003)

15. The government will extract a fee of $2.3 billion annually from the pharmaceutical industry. If you are a pharmaceutical company what you will pay depends on the ratio of the number of brand-name drugs you sell to the total number of brand-name drugs sold in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the brand-name drugs in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2.3 billion, or $230,000,000. (Under reconciliation, it starts at $2.55 billion, jumps to $3 billion in 2012, then to $3.5 billion in 2017 and $4.2 billion in 2018, before settling at $2.8 billion in 2019 (Section 1404)). Think you, as a pharmaceutical executive, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 9008 (b)).

16. The government will extract a fee of $2 billion annually from medical device makers. If you are a medical device maker what you will pay depends on your share of medical device sales in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the medical devices in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2 billion, or $200,000,000. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for R&D? Tough. (Section 9009 (b)).

The reconciliation package turns that into a 2.9% excise tax for medical device makers. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 1405).

17. The government will extract a fee of $6.7 billion annually from insurance companies. If you are an insurer, what you will pay depends on your share of net premiums plus 200% of your administrative costs. So, if your net premiums and administrative costs are equal to 10% of the total, you will pay 10% of $6.7 billion, or $670,000,000. In the reconciliation bill, the fee will start at $8 billion in 2014, $11.3 billion in 2015, $1.9 billion in 2017, and $14.3 billion in 2018 (Section 1406).Think you, as an insurance executive, know how to better spend that money? Tough.(Section 9010 (b) (1) (A and B).)

18. If an insurance company board or its stockholders think the CEO is worth more than $500,000 in deferred compensation? Tough.(Section 9014).

19. You will have to pay an additional 0.5% payroll tax on any dollar you make over $250,000 if you file a joint return and $200,000 if you file an individual return. What? You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9015).

That amount will rise to a 3.8% tax if reconciliation passes. It will also apply to investment income, estates, and trusts. You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Like you need to ask. (Section 1402).

20. If you go for cosmetic surgery, you will pay an additional 5% tax on the cost of the procedure. Think you know how to spend that money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9017).

"Truth is, Everybody Lies"

by: Cindy Adams

Truth. Not a thing in wide use these days. I mean, where's George Washington and his hatchet and crappy cherry tree when you need him.

Today the world lies about everything. Like this lady told her husband: "More people drown in bathtubs than in the ocean or even swimming pools and that's the only reason he found her in her bathtub with a lifeguard."

Yesterday I researched this arcane concept of truth. The reason being I figured only in some encyclopedia can I begin again to understand truth which has dropped from fashion faster than panty girdles.

I learned "The Pragmatic Theory of Truth" was published at the turn of the 20th century by someone named Charles Sanders Pierce. Who he was who knows. Who cares. Anyway, per Pierce: "Truth is that concordance of an abstract statement with the ideal limit towards which endless investigation tends to bring scientific belief, which concordance the abstract statement may possess by virtue of the confession of its inaccuracy and this confession is an essential ingredient of truth."

Yeah? Lotsa luck. And if you can understand that, you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

How does all that explain why some yutz is telling his cellphone over a coffee-shop tuna on rye with an egg cream: "Can't talk. I'm going in to a meeting."

Our society has progressed to the point where you have to remember, the person who agrees with you will lie about other things, too.

I researched further. Wikipedia states: "The term 'truth' has no single definition." What's that mean? Means that lies are so accepted today that they come in sizes. Like suits. Now you can slip into an out-and-out lie, half a lie, white lie, Albany lie -- as in -- if the person's lips are moving he's automatically lying, or the Washington politico's lie which means, even if the person TELLS you he's lying, you still can't believe he's telling the truth. And then there's today's Gold Standard, the John Edwards-ism shouted over an infant's squalling: "Baby? What baby. I have no baby. It's that guy who works for me's baby."

Where's this need for lying come from? Is it primal? Does a perfectly comfy newborn in its crib, every need already supplied, instinctively know that, upon acting up, it'll get more attention? How come a kid in pre-K will fib to another: "My father is richer than your father." Or if they're in Hollywood: "My father IS your father."

An old friend took me to dinner at an expensive restaurant. I actually heard him whisper to the maitre d' as we arrived: "The check is in the mail."


Have a relative's story. On a long line at the bank, she bumps into a guy she had a major crush on in grade school. Since she was cashing a Social Security check, you have to figure how long ago that crush might've been. She was single. He was divorced. He took her phone number. Promised to call. He didn't. Long down the line, at a class reunion, he told her: "My cat Ina spilled a glass of milk and it fell on the paper your phone number was written on."

You have to give the guy credit for this one. It was creative. At least his dog didn't eat his homework.

Why? What is it about lying. Is it in our DNA? Or did honesty go the way of last season's bankers, money-managers and swindlers.

Walk on the street. Listen to the cellphone cons: "Stuck on the LIE . . . train was late . . . my alarm didn't go off . . . had a flood in my apartment . . . my crown fell out, I'm on my way to the dentist." At least that last is what I THINK the guy said. Hard to hear him clearly though his bagel.

I know someone who, when she doesn't want to see someone, says: "My family's in from Panama and I have to pick them up at the airport." True, she has family in Panama, but if you track her comments over time, that family comes in every two days.

I did more research. I learned the true meaning of Truth is, "It can have a variety of meanings, from the state of being the case, being in accord with the body of real things."

OK? If the savants supposed to guide us and teach us don't know what the hell they're talking about, why should we?

What's the big problem about defining truth? If it comes with an aroma, it's a lie. If it comes from the tonsils of Tiger Woods, as in, "Honey, I swear I practically almost never saw that hooker before" -- it's a lie.

Clearly, avoidance of truth is a tool. Suppose someone shows you a dress she just spent a fortune for, asks how you like it and you know in your heart it makes her look like a chenille garbage bag -- that's where you keep your comment. In your heart. From your mouth can come all-purpose phrases like: "It's definitely you. For sure you won't see yourself coming and going" etc.

My late husband, comedian Joey Adams, had a backstage patter when visiting anyone whose show was a bomb. He'd say, "Max, you did it again." Or: "Hey, had a little something in it for everybody."

So this accountant came home to find his wife, a heavy-duty liar, in bed with a midget. He screamed: "You swore you'd never cheat again." "Don't be angry," she said, "Can't you see I'm tapering off?"

Soldier/Model Katrina Hodge fights to ban swimsuit competitions

by: THRILL <--ofcourse he would


Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge is a British soldier.... and lingerie model for La Senza. They call her "Combat Barbie."

Big surprise that I'd be covering this story.

Anyway, last year she competed in the Miss England beauty contest. Recently, she convinced the organizers of the pageant to drop the common swimsuit portion of the contest. According to the Daily Telegraph, Hodge explained that dressing up in swimsuits isn't fair to the contestants. She said, "I think it's nerve-racking enough to girls to get up on a stage and speak, let alone in a swimsuit."



Instead, Hodge proposes that contestants will compete in a sports challenge which she will also oversee. Hmm... replace looking good in swimsuits with Ultimate Frisbee?!?! How about this: Ultimate Frisbee in swimsuits! hahahaha...

It's hard for me to take anything that comes from Britain seriously. Personally, I'm all about Miss America (even though Miss Texas never wins!) and how Miss America is who I want painted on my predator drone missile! NOT Miss England.



Appearantly, looking good in a swimsuit is irrelevant because a winner is rarely asked to appear for swimwear public events. Then why are they even called beauty pageants? Is it wrong to believe that there are women who are more beautiful than others? Is there an opposite to beauty?

Some people believe that cold is the opposite of hot. Others think that cold is just the absence of heat. Does that mean there are beautiful women out there as well as ugly women? or does it mean that all women are beautiful, but when they're not around they become ugly?

Lately, I scoff at anything, including a broad, that comes from the four countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. I am not happy with Britain. Yall remember my blog about AM/PM gastations? Yup. I still haven't been back there.

Read my Ban on British Petrolium blog HERE

However, Katrina Hodge is impressive. Wish I had her in my fireteam. LCpl Hodge did serve in Iraq and even took down a terrorist with her bare hands. In the words of Paris Hilton, "That's hot!"

Talk about a "slight of hand pro!" giggity.

(Modern Warfare 2 Players know what I mean!)

Newport Beach Couple Open Marijuana School

By: Brianna Bailey and Mona Shadia


Chadd and Alysha McKeen don’t care that passersby can see the six 3-foot-tall marijuana plants growing inside their new Costa Mesa storefront.

“I want to tell people to stop being afraid of it,” said Chadd McKeen, co-founder of Otherside Farms. “We want to bring it out into the open.”

The McKeens also put in new tile and ripped the bars off the windows at the center, which sits between a dog-grooming business and a therapeutic spa. It’s all part of an effort to make the place appear open and inviting.

The shop at 2424 Newport Blvd. bills itself as a “medical marijuana information center.” It offers classes on everything from how to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes to how to make pot brownies. The six plants growing underneath special lights in one foil-padded room of the shop are strictly for teaching purposes, the couple said.

“It’s all self-taught,” Alysha McKeen said of the couple’s cultivation skills. “That learning curve is expensive, so we want to share what we know with people.”

The new information center is offering two-day weekend workshops on the basics of growing marijuana, including lighting, air flow and growing equipment.

People can walk in to find out where to get a doctor’s referral for medical marijuana, or how to find an attorney who specializes in medical-marijuana issues.

The couple also plan to organize legal workshops on medical-marijuana issues.

There have been bumps along the way to opening Otherside Farms.

It took the couple nearly a month to get a business license from Costa Mesa, Chadd McKeen said, because the city was concerned that the McKeens were trying to open up a marijuana dispensary, he said.

City officials have served cease-and-desist orders on half a dozen medical-marijuana dispensaries in Costa Mesa in recent weeks. Police raided two more this week, arresting workers on suspicion of felony drug violations.

While Otherside Farms runs a medical-marijuana delivery service, which serves cities across Los Angeles and Orange counties, the Costa Mesa shop is just a place where people can learn more about how to smoke, grow and bake with pot, the McKeens said.

“We took possession of the place on a Friday night, and the city was here at 8 a.m. Monday morning banging on the door,” Chadd McKeen said. “The city flipped out. Nobody knew what to do with us.”

Costa Mesa City Atty. Kimberly Hall Barlow said that as long as Otherside Farms is not distributing or selling marijuana, it should not encounter any problems while operating in the city, though she said she will have to learn more about the business.

“They have a 1st Amendment right to speak, but they don’t have a 1st Amendment right to distribute,” Barlow said.

Mayor Allan Mansoor said he’s concerned with who will be taught how to grow cannabis and “where it’ll end up.”

“Is it going to end up in kids’ hands or people that get high all the time?” he said. “I have a problem with that. I’ve seen the effects of it. If it’s truly someone that has a medical need, it needs to be within the law, so it depends on where it ends up.”

Costa Mesa city officials have clashed with medical marijuana dispensaries in recent months over a 2005 citywide ban on such establishments.

Police were staking out Doc’s, a dispensary a few doors down, for months, Chadd McKeen said.

Police raided Doc’s earlier this week, hauling out bags of marijuana and arresting one man on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and transporting the drug.

One night, police followed the McKeens as they left Otherside Farms, and pulled them over and searched their car, Chadd McKeen said.

McKeen and his wife, both 39, used to work in the real estate industry. The couple live in Newport Beach and have three kids.

“I’m not some guy who bailed out of real estate and decided to open a dispensary,” Chadd McKeen said. “We see the front lines — I need this medicine.”

Alysha McKeen said she is undergoing treatment for skin cancer and medical marijuana helps her with side effects of treatment.

Chadd McKeen said he uses medical marijuana to ease pain from an old shoulder injury he suffered as a teenager working at Knott’s Berry Farm.

The couple hope the shop will make medical marijuana more acceptable through education, they said.

“It’s here, and it’s not going to go away,” Alysha McKeen said.




Photos from the awesome movie, "The Ruins." I didn't have any neat pictures in my computer. Sorry.

Girl Scouts hiding secret sex agenda?

Accusations fly over U.N. meeting, Planned Parenthood 'hot' girl handout
By: Drew Zahn



A witness who attended the 54th session of United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women has unleashed a firestorm of controversy after reporting copies of Planned Parenthood's teen-sex promoting guide, "Healthy, Happy and Hot," were provided for Girl Scouts in attendance.

The Girl Scouts organization, in turn, has issued a denial statement, distancing itself from any involvement in "family planning," despite clear evidence to the contrary.

Sharon Slater of Family Watch International and Stand for the Family was at the New York City event when organizers ushered all adults – save for one from each of seven sponsoring organizations – out of the room for a "girls only workshop" that the Girl Scouts of the USA reports 30-35 teenage girls attended.

Slater told WND when the doors opened at the conclusion of the workshop, she went back in and found the "Hot" brochure among various materials made available on the back table.

The guide itself, produced by the International Planned Parenthood Federation for young people with HIV, depicts both same-sex and opposite-sex couples, contains graphic details on "exploring" sexuality and encourages casual sex in many forms.

"Many people think sex is just about vaginal or anal intercourse. But, there are lots of different ways to have sex and lots of different types of sex," the guide states. "There is no right or wrong way to have sex."

It continues, "Improve your sex life by getting to know your own body. Play with yourself! Masturbation is a great way to find out more about your body and what you find sexually stimulating. … Mix things up by using different kinds of touch from very soft to hard. Talk about or act out your fantasies. Talk dirty to them."

Understand Planned Parenthood's agenda. Get "Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom"

Slater further told WND the brochures appeared again a few days later at a panel discussion for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, or WAGGGS, of which Girl Scouts of the USA is a member organization.

"I had team of 30 volunteers monitoring meetings, and I sent two volunteers to another event in the same building by WAGGGS, " Slater told WND. "The packets were on their table also; our volunteers picked up a copy."

A spokesperson for Girls Scouts of the USA, however, referred to an official statement denying distribution of any IPPF brochures:

"The girls received a copy of the only document they were working on, titled 'The Girls' Statement,'" the spokesperson quoted. "No other documents were given to the girls as part of this event."

Where, then, did the brochures on the back table come from?

"The room in question was also used to host other events over the course of the multi-day conference," the statement explains. "Prior to our girls entering the room, we did not 'sanitize' the room to ensure that no trash or other items were left behind."

Slater, however, disputes the explanation, as the "girls only workshop" was held on the first day of the conference, and the only events held earlier in the day in the same room were on climate change, orientation for non-governmental organizations and counterterrorism – not meetings likely to leave behind brochures on teenage girls' sexuality.

The statement also fails to explain where the brochures made available for the second WAGGGS event originated.

Furthermore, the statement insists, "The Girl Scout organization does not take a position on family planning. Our membership is a cross-section of America with regard to opinions on religious and social issues and practices. We believe these matters are best decided by girls and their families."

Yet on the sixth day of the U.N. commission event, WAGGGS brought together young people from over 20 nations to draft a statement advocating for "sexual and reproductive rights."

Included in the rights, services and supplies "demanded" by the group were the following, according to the WAGGGS website:

All young people must have access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception and emergency contraception, in order to avoid unintended pregnancies.

Accessible, affordable and safe abortions should be made part of the minimum packages of sexual and reproductive health services.

All young people should have access to psycho-social health services for prevention of gender-based violence and violence against women.
And despite claiming to "not take a position on family planning," national Girl Scouts leaders have admitted in the past to widespread partnerships with organizations like Planned Parenthood.

In 2004, after parents and activists waged a boycott of the famous Girl Scout cookies over the organization's distribution of a Planned Parenthood book listing nine "good reasons" that women have abortions, Girl Scout CEO Katy Cloninger defended the association on national television:

"We have relationships with our church communities, with YWCAs and with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring information-based sex education programs to girls," Cloninger told "Today" show co-host Lester Holt. "It's really impossible for girls to grow up in today's society without having access to good information. And so we will continue to partner with organizations across this nation, and local community Girl Scouts will make decisions based on their local community partnerships and the local needs of both the girls and their families."

Slater told WND she would rather see the Scouts denounce the "Healthy, Happy and Hot" brochure than continue denying it.

"I have no way of knowing if anyone there was from the IPPF, but someone put that brochure on the table for the girls to pick up and read," Slater said. "If they really don't have a position on family planning, and if they insist that they had nothing to do with the sex education manual, then they need to make public statement denouncing it, to say it was inappropriate and, 'We would not have supported it, had we known it was going to be made available.'"

Through her Stand for the Family website, Slater is planning to call on parents and Girls Scouts supporters to wage an e-mail campaign demanding the Girl Scouts of the USA organization disassociate from WAGGGS and Planned Parenthood, "so parents who want to send their girls to the Girl Scouts can know their daughters aren't being given these kinds of materials."

Ford Introduces New Taurus-based Police Car

by: Nadeem Muaddi

The next time you’re pulled over for speeding, you might be surprised by what you see in the rearview. Ford recently unveiled its replacement for the Crown-Victoria-based Police Interceptor -- and it’s a Taurus.

“Ford first introduced its police package in 1950 and today the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is the industry leader,” explains Jalopnik. “The automaker's dominated the streets to the point that over the last five years, Ford's controlled more than 70% of the patrol cars sold. … Unfortunately, the Crown Vic's Panther-platform's getting a little long in the tooth — it hasn't seen a redesign in over 15 years.”

So out goes the Crown Vic and in comes the Taurus. “To develop the all-new Police Interceptor, Ford engineers worked hand-in-hand with Ford’s Police Advisory Board of law enforcement professionals, which provided input on key vehicle attributes such as safety, performance, durability, driver comfort and functionality,” writes Ford.

While the new Police Interceptor is based on the 2010 Ford Taurus, the changes are significant.

According to Cars.com, “Police departments across the country won’t be piloting just any Taurus off dealership lots. Ford says approximately 90 percent of the interior has been redesigned for police use.” Unique features include front seats with anti-stab plates to protect officers from violent criminals and vinyl rear seats to make cleaning up after messy ones easier.



That’s not all. USA Today reports: “The Taurus-based model will keep the Police Interceptor name but offer just two 3.5-liter V-6 engines, no big V-8s, as in the Crown Vic. Ford boasts that the standard version will be 25% more fuel efficient than the current standard V-8. And the version with two turbochargers, what Ford calls EcoBoost, will deliver 365 horsepower, 115 more than the standard Crown Vic.” The 365-horsepower V6 is the same found in the performance-tuned Taurus SHO. An optional all-wheel drive system will also be available.

The result is a better-performing police car. “Ford’s new police car can endure a rear-end crash at 75 m.p.h., easily jump curbs and accelerate twice as fast as Ford's outgoing iconic Crown Victoria Police Interceptor,” says the Detroit Free Press.

However, the competition is tough. “The Taurus-based cop car will have to compete against the Dodge Charger cruiser, which looks good and is plenty fast with the available Hemi, and the Chevrolet Caprice, another rear-driver which is pretty much a Pontiac G8 in all but name (and civilian availability),” writes Edmunds.

Ford will cease production on the old Police Interceptor in late 2011 and begin introducing the new Taurus-based model in 2012.

If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.

Wells Fargo Denies the THRILL Logo!

Encinitas, CA- Yup, it's true: Wells Fargo denies my logo.

According to their standards of what is acceptable, my personal logo that I created is considered any or all of the following: "violent, offensive, anti-social, death imagery, provocative, lewd, political, religious, socially unacceptable, and descriminating."

Wells Fargo has a cool feature on their website that allows bankers to customize their personal bank cards with any image they want on them. Obviously, not.. any.. image.. they.. want. There is an entire criteria that explains what is allowed and what isn't. A lot of it I agree with and all of it I felt my logo didn't violate.

As far as what is expected: Most douche bags put images of their children, or a black and white photo of a lawn chair. I figured that my personal logo was just as harmless.

Sure, I knew I couldn't have a picture of Scarlett J0hansson on my card. "Celebrities, musicians, athletes, entertainers, or other public figures" aren't allowed either. Plus, I don't think my wife would appreciate the idea of Ms. Scarlett in my wallet.


Ha! But maybe it wasn't that my logo was "violent" or "political" that made Wells Fargo decide to reject it. Could it be that they think "Thrill" is considered a "celebrity" or "public figure"? I'm no celebrity, ...even though Facebook allows my "Thrill" page to categorized under "public figure."

Though I hope that my celebrity status is what caused my image denial, I'm sure it was the silhouette of my awesome Kimber .45 Custom TLE/RL II that I'm holding in the image that made them want to reject approval.

"A firearm is offensive...."

Not for me. To me, fireamrs symbolize the warm American tradition that has helped this nation prosper both in our homes and in our businesses. The men that ride that Wells Fargo wagon with all the horses... you know THAT Wells Fargo employee was armed with a shotgun. If bank tellers carried firearms, criminals would think twice before sticking up a bank.

Oh well... I don't mind I can't have my awesome logo on my ATM card.

Besides, guns don't kill people. People with ATM cards that have a picture of their cat on it kill people.

New Mailing Address for Chelsea King

POWAY- Due to the overwhelming support after Chelsea King's death, her parents established a new post office box to receive her mail.

Here is the new mailing address supporters can send their mail to:

Chelsea's Light
12463 Rancho Bernardo Rd.
#519
San Diego, CA 92128-2143

Monetary donations to a fund established by the family can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank, account number: 1838355913.

A memorial service for Chelsea King will be held this Saturday from 2PM-5PM at the
Poway Highschool Stadium
15500 Espola Rd.
Poway, CA.

The Hurt Locker

In the summer of 2004, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge of Bravo Company are at the volatile center of the war, part of a small counterforce specifically trained to handle the homemade bombs, or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), that account for more than half of American hostile deaths and have killed thousands of Iraqis. A high-pressure, high-stakes assignment, the job leaves no room for mistakes, as they learn when they lose their team leader on a mission.

When Staff Sergeant William James takes over the team, Sanborn and Eldridge are shocked by what seems like his reckless disregard for military protocol and basic safety measures. And yet, in the fog of war, appearances are never reliable for long. Is James really a swaggering cowboy who lives for peak experiences and the moments when the margin of error is zero - or is he a consummate professional who has honed his esoteric craft to high-wire precision?

As the fiery chaos of Baghdad swirls around them, the men struggle to understand and contain their new leader long enough for them to make it home. They have only 38 days left in their tour of Iraq, but with each new mission comes another deadly encounter, and as James blurs the line between bravery and bravado, it seems only a matter of time before disaster will strike.

Best Original Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Picture
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow

Iran's Ahmadinejad: Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie"

By: ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer



TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie" used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported.

Ahmadinejad's comments, made during an address to Intelligence Ministry staff, come amid escalating tensions between the West and Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. They show that Iran has no intention of toning itself down even with tighter sanctions looming because of its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

"September 11 was a big lie and a pretext for the war on terror and a prelude to invading Afghanistan," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by state TV. He called the attacks a "complicated intelligence scenario and act."

The Iranian president has questioned the official U.S. version of the Sept. 11 attacks before, but this is the first time he ventured to label it a "big lie."

In 2007, New York officials rejected Ahmadinejad's request to visit the World Trade Center site while he was in the city for a U.N. meeting. The president also sparked an uproar when he said during a lecture in New York that the causes and conditions that led to the attacks, as well as who orchestrated them, still need to be examined.

At the time, he also told Iranian state TV the attacks were "a result of mismanaging and inhumane managing of the world by the U.S," and that Washington was using Sept. 11 as an excuse to attack others.

He has also questioned the Sept. 11 death toll of around 3,000, claiming the Americans never published the victims' names.

On the 2007 anniversary of the attacks, the names of 2,750 victims killed in New York were read aloud at a memorial ceremony.

Activision, Modern Warfare execs trade barbs, lawsuits

by: Mike Smith

Fans of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are used to dramatic battles, but a war of words emerging this week could determine the future of one of modern videogaming's most successful franchise.

Modern Warfare 2 co-creators Jason West and Vince Zampella, fired for alleged insubordination on Tuesday in a surprise move that shocked the entire industry, filed a strongly worded lawsuit with a California court today.

The filing described Activision as demonstrating "astonishing arrogance and unbridled greed," and accuses the company of terminating the pair in order to avoid paying them "substantial" royalties from last year's Modern Warfare 2 release, heralded as the biggest launch in entertainment history.

"Instead of thinking, lauding, or just plain paying Messers. West and Zampella for giving Activision the most successful entertainment product ever offered to the public," the filing says, "last month Activision hired lawyers to conduct a pretextual 'investigation' into unstated and unsubstantiated charges of 'insubordination' and 'breach of fiduciary duty.'"

The pair are seeking -- among other things -- damages in excess of $36 million, and a restoration of their rights to the Call of Duty franchise.

In turn, Activision described the pair's claims as "meritless," and insists it showed "enormous patience" before making its decision. The company also took the opportunity to reassert its ownership of the colossally successful Call of Duty franchise.

"Over eight years, Activision shareholders provided these executives with the capital they needed to start Infinity Ward, as well as the financial support, resources and creative independence that helped them flourish and achieve enormous professional success and personal wealth," the company said in a press release. "Activision remains committed to the Call of Duty franchise, which it owns, and will continue to produce exciting and innovative games for its millions of fans."

Looks like this battle is just getting started.

UK Muslim Leader: Islam Not a Religion of Peace

by: Eric Stakelbeck

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has released a review of its strategy in the war on terrorism. The report failed to even mention the word "Islam."

CBN News traveled to London to talk with Anjem Choudary, a leading Muslim radical who says Islamic teachings are what shaped his pro-jihad message.

Although both George W. Bush and Barack Obama have declared that Islam is a religion of peace, Choudary begs to differ.

A Religion of Peace?

"You can't say that Islam is a religion of peace," Choudary told CBN News. "Because Islam does not mean peace. Islam means submission. So the Muslim is one who submits. There is a place for violence in Islam. There is a place for jihad in Islam."

Choudary is the leader of Islam4UK, a group recently banned in Britain under the country's counter-terrorism laws. He wants Islamic Sharia law to rule the United Kingdom and is working to make that dream a reality.

While Islamic radicals in the United States usually prefer to speak in more moderate tones while in public, masking their true agenda, Choudary has no such inhibitions.

He has praised the 9/11 hijackers and has called for the execution of Pope Benedict. He also stirred controversy recently when video emerged of him converting a 10-year-old British boy to Islam.

Openly Praising Jihad

Choudary told CBN News his group is a "non-violent political and ideological movement" that resides in the UK under "a covenant of security."

Yet he openly praises violent jihad.

"The Koran is full of, you know, jihad is the most talked about duty in the Koran other than tawhid -- belief," he said. "Nothing else is mentioned more than the topic of fighting."

Several former members of Choudary's group have been arrested on terrorism charges.

"A very significant amount of former al-Muhajiroun people were involved in terrorist plots against this country," London-based terrorism expert Peter Neumann said. "A number of people have actually gone to Afghanistan, joined the Taliban and died fighting for the Taliban."

Choudary refuses to condemn acts of terror including 9/11 and the July 7, 2005 London bombings, which killed 52 people.

Islam More than Religion

CBN News asked Choudary for his thoughts on the 7/7 bombings on London's transport system, and whether he condemned them.

"For the people who carried it out, it was legitimate," he replied. "If you look at the will of the 7/7 bombers Mohammed Siddique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, they would be justified. And there are many verses from the Koran and many statements to say that's the Islamic argument. And that is a difficult Islamic argument to refute. And there are many scholars who support that argument as well."

Choudary says his group is merely following core Islamic teachings and that Islam is much more than a religion.

"This particular belief is more than just a religion," he declared. "It is not just a spiritual belief. It is, in fact, an ideology which you believe in and you struggle for and you are willing even to die for, because you believe in that: That is your whole life."

Choudary seems to relish being called Great Britain's "most hated man" and pledges to continue his rallies calling for the overthrow of the British system.

Body Found at Lake Hodges

Lake Hodges, CA- Sheriff's officials say they believe a body found near Lake Hodges Tuesday afternoon is that of missing 17-year old high school athlete Chelsea King.

Sheriff William Gore says the body was located in a shallow grave along the shoreline about a half a mile from the parking lot.

A positive identification is expected tomorrow.

The discovery brings to an end six days of searching by hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement personnel over fields, swamps and marshes around Lake Hodges.

King, 17, vanished after she went for a run last Thursday in San Diego's Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

Local agencies aided by divers from the Los Angeles Bureau of the FBI are using sonar and line searches to cover the 4-square-mile lake.

DNA on a piece of King's clothing found along the southern shore of the lake led to the arrest Sunday of registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III, according to law enforcement sources.

Gardner, who lives in Lake Elsinore, frequently visits his mother's home in Rancho Bernardo.

He was arrested around 4:20 p.m. Sunday in front of a Mexican restaurant and bar called "Hernandez Hide-A-Way" in the small community of Del Dios, on the west shore of Lake Hodges, near Escondido.

Police say Gardner is refusing to cooperate with authorities.

He is being held without bail for investigation of murder and rape.

No criminal charges had been filed, but district attorney's spokesman Steve Walker said a decision would be made by Wednesday.

"This investigation is ongoing and specific criminal charges are still being determined," he said.

Gardner was required to register as a sex offender after being convicted 10 years ago of forcibly molesting a 13-year-old neighborhood girl. He allegedly hit the girl in the head repeatedly before she managed to escape to a neighbor's house.

Gardner pleaded guilty in May 2000 to two counts of forcible lewd act on a child and false imprisonment.

He was sentenced to six years in prison. He served five years and was released in September 2005.

The San Diego Union Tribune is reporting that a psychiatrist urged a long sentence in the case because Gardner "would be a continued danger to underage girls in the community."

Prosecutors had initially charged Gardner with more-violent sex crimes in the case which could have resulted in a sentence of more than 30 years because the terms would have been served consecutively, the paper reported.

A plea deal allowed him to serve the sentences concurrently.

Gardner remained on parole until September 2008, and after that was required to register as a sex offender.

He is currently listed on the Megan's Law Web site.

Investigators have also positively linked Gardner to the Dec. 27 attack of a jogger at the same park where Chelsea disappeared, San Diego police Capt. Jim Collins confirmed Monday.

Candice Moncayo, 23, a graduate student in Colorado Springs, was shown a mug shot of Gardner and confirmed it was the same man who attacked her in February, according to her sister.

Collins declined to describe the evidence but says a swap taken from the victim's elbow did not match Gardner's DNA.

Investigators are also looking into the possibility of a connection between Gardner and Amber Dubois, who disappeared while walking to Escondido High School on Feb. 13, 2009.

Amber was 14 at the time.

Brent King found his daughter's BMW in the park Thursday night after she failed to return home.

Her cell phone and iPod were inside.

Some 1,400 volunteer searchers and more than 100 law enforcement officers have been scouring Rancho Bernardo Park and Lake Hodges for any signs of King.

Gore said the search efforts would expand beyond the park.

King's parents pleaded for her return Sunday and said the arrest offered them no relief.

"She is one of the most driven, personable, caring people that you could ever meet," Brent King said. "Her goal in life is to brighten everyone's day. That's what she does, and when she walks into the room, you know she's there."

King, a senior at Poway High School, is a straight-A student and a member of the San Diego Symphony.