Mood:  special

Yamhill boy awakens after 22 months in coma

YAMHILL, Ore. -- During the 22 months when her young son lay in a Gresham nursing home, trapped in an unexplainable coma, Yamhill resident Carla Rivers turned down offers from prospective buyers of the small, hot-pink motorcycle that he had loved.

"We knew he'd want to ride it again," Rivers said.

And, after two years of visits to his sick bed and prayers from their church and cards from the school friends Devon Rivers left behind when he was sickened with his mysterious illness, the 11-year-old awoke.

Until Oct. 7, 2004, Devon Rivers was an active, happy child, who loved Scouts and sports, school and church, riding his bike and playing with his baby brother, Brakken. He was the kid of kid that when he ran out of things to put together, he took things apart so he could put them together again.

All that changed the day his mother and father rushed him to the emergency room, where doctors made an initial diagnosis of rheumatic fever and prescribed antibiotics.

Five days later, Devon's condition worsened and he started having trouble breathing on his own. On Oct. 17, he lapsed into the coma.

Medics sent samples of Devon's spinal fluid to labs across the country, trying to figure out what was causing his illness. But every test - from West Nile virus to lead poisoning - came back negative.

Doctors guessed he had a viral illness. But they never were able to pinpoint what it was or what had caused it.

Eventually, he was moved to a pediatric nursing care center, where he received daily physical therapy that kept his muscles from atrophying and his joints from locking up.

Yet every time doctors checked on him, they had the same prognosis: Devon was in a persistent vegetative state, and it was doubtful that he would ever recover.

For two years, friends and family members shuttled back and forth between Yamhill and the nursing home, bearing stuff animals and posters, blessings and prayers.

Carla Rivers visited her son at least twice a week, carrying on a one-sided conversation on the assumption that coma victims retain their hearing.

One Friday in late August, she told Devon the family was heading for Utah for a wedding.

As she spoke, she remembered, it seemed as though her son was actually looking at her, and that his breathing seemed different, as if he weren't relying so much on the tracheal tube.

A few days later, the Rivers family got the news: Devon was indeed breathing on his own, a very positive sign.

In the weeks since then, Devon has made a great deal of progress, so much that his parents are hoping he'll soon be able to relearn skills like using a spoon and brushing his teeth.

His parents say it all seems like a "walk on water" miracle.

"We want to know what's going on with him, when he can come home, what more we can expect," Rivers said.

Information from: News-Register (Video available at origional site)
KATU-TV Portland, OR ~ Associated Press ** Yamhill boy awakens after 22 months in coma

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 3:03 AM EDT

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Mood:  don't ask

North Korea Tested Nuclear Weapon

Wikipedia article already up... blaming W for Clintax giving Kim nuke reactors.
Wikipedia ** North Korea and
weapons of mass destruction
Not that the Dems would try to play politics, or anything...

Reality Alert: Details of 1994 US "sell-out" recorded at Geneva
Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Geneva, October 21, 1994

What did he say to you when you presented that plan?
"Well, we were literally in the process of giving the briefing to him, laying out the three alterative options, when the call came in from President Carter [in North Korea who] said that he had talked with Kim Il Sung and that Kim Il Sung had told him that he was prepared to stop the program at Yongbyon if the United States was prepared to offer him a light-water reactor, an alternative kind of kind of nuclear reactor." - William Perry, U.S. Sec'y of Defense (1994-1997); U.S. Special Envoy to North Korea (1999)
PBS ~ Frontline ** Kim's Nuclear Gamble

Clintax quote: "North Korea has now frozen its dangerous nuclear weapons program. In Haiti, the dictators are gone, democracy has a new day..."
William Jefferson Clinton - State of the Union 1996

Pick the media outlet of your choice and have a read about the libtard's great "diplomacy plans" that came to fruition...
Fox News ** North Korea Tested Nuclear Weapon
AP ** North Korea Says Nuclear Test Successful
Reuters ** North Korea says conducted nuclear test
BBC ** 'Historic event'
Reuters ** China condemns
White House says 'provocative,' 'unprovoked'
Breitbart.com ~ Kyodo ** Japan sets up task force
Breitbart.com ~ Kyodo ** Hiroshima Mayor 'Great Anger'
U.S. Geological Survey ** UPDATE: 4.2 MAG

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 8:24 AM EDT

Updated: Monday, 9 October 2006 8:53 AM EDT

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Mood:  bright

Just more evidence that CO2 is an overrated greenhouse gas...

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Exploding Stars Influence Climate Of Earth

Copenhagen, Denmark -- A team at the Danish National Space Center has discovered how cosmic rays from exploding stars can help to make clouds in the atmosphere. The results support the theory that cosmic rays influence Earth's climate.

An essential role for remote stars in everyday weather on Earth has been revealed by an experiment at the Danish National Space Center in Copenhagen.

It is already well-established that when cosmic rays, which are high-speed atomic particles originating in exploded stars far away in the Milky Way, penetrate Earth's atmosphere they produce substantial amounts of ions and release free electrons.

Now, results from the Danish experiment show that the released electrons significantly promote the formation of building blocks for cloud condensation nuclei on which water vapour condenses to make clouds.

Hence, a causal mechanism by which cosmic rays can facilitate the production of clouds in Earth's atmosphere has been experimentally identified for the first time.

The Danish team officially announced their discovery on Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, published by the Royal Society, the British national academy of science.

The experiment
The experiment called SKY (Danish for "cloud") took place in a large reaction chamber which contained a mixture of gases at realistic concentrations to imitate the chemistry of the lower atmosphere.

Ultraviolet lamps mimicked the action of the Sun's rays. During experimental runs, instruments traced the chemical action of the penetrating cosmic rays in the reaction chamber.

The data revealed that electrons released by cosmic rays act as catalysts, which significantly accelerate the formation of stable, ultra-small clusters of sulphuric acid and water molecules which are building blocks for the cloud condensation nuclei. A vast numbers of such microscopic droplets appeared, floating in the air in the reaction chamber.

"We were amazed by the speed and efficiency with which the electrons do their work of creating the building blocks for the cloud condensation nuclei," says team leader Henrik Svensmark, who is Director of the Center for Sun-Climate Research within the Danish National Space Center. "This is a completely new result within climate science."

A missing link in climate theory
The experimental results lend strong empirical support to the theory proposed a decade ago by Henrik Svensmark and Eigil Friis-Christensen that cosmic rays influence Earth's climate through their effect on cloud formation.

The original theory rested on data showing a strong correlation between variation in the intensity of cosmic radiation penetrating the atmosphere and the amount of low-altitude clouds. Cloud cover increases when the intensity of cosmic rays grows and decreases when the intensity declines.

It is known that low-altitude clouds have an overall cooling effect on the Earth's surface. Hence, variations in cloud cover caused by cosmic rays can change the surface temperature. The existence of such a cosmic connection to Earth's climate might thus help to explain past and present variations in Earth's climate.

Interestingly, during the 20th Century, the Sun's magnetic field which shields Earth from cosmic rays more than doubled, thereby reducing the average influx of cosmic rays.

The resulting reduction in cloudiness, especially of low-altitude clouds, may be a significant factor in the global warming Earth has undergone during the last century. However, until now, there has been no experimental evidence of how the causal mechanism linking cosmic rays and cloud formation may work.

"Many climate scientists have considered the linkages from cosmic rays to clouds to climate as unproven," comments Eigil Friis-Christensen, who is now Director of the Danish National Space Center.

"Some said there was no conceivable way in which cosmic rays could influence cloud cover. The SKY experiment now shows how they do so, and should help to put the cosmic-ray connection firmly onto the agenda of international climate research."

Published online in "Proceedings of the Royal Society A", October 3rd Title: "Experimental Evidence for the role of Ions in Particle Nucleation under Atmospheric Conditions". Authors: Henrik Svensmark, Jens Olaf Pepke Pedersen, Nigel Marsh, Martin Enghoff and Ulrik Uggerhoj.

Related Links: Danish National Space Center
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It
Learn about Climate Science at TerraDaily.com

Space Daily.com ** Exploding Stars Influence Climate Of Earth

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 7:31 AM EDT

Updated: Monday, 9 October 2006 7:37 AM EDT

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Mood:  loud

Jeb Bush Threatened by Protesters in Pa.

Protesters greeted Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on his way to a campaign event for a Pennsylvania senator, and he briefly took refuge in a subway station supply closet to avoid the anti-Republican demonstrators.

The president's brother encountered protesters on their way to join a demonstration outside the exclusive Duquesne Club, where Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican, was holding a fundraiser Friday.

Officers used stun guns to subdue two protesters, saying they disobeyed orders to disperse, said Bob Grove, a Port Authority spokesman.

"It was a very tense situation. They were very close to the governor and shouting on top of him," Grove said.

Bush was not injured.

The protesters, made up of members of the United Steelworkers union and the anti-war group Uprise Counter Recruitment, chanted, "Jeb go home," and said Bush blew them a kiss.

Bush, accompanied by a security guard and an aide, retreated into a nearby subway station and was followed by about 50 picketers, said Bob Grove, a Port Authority spokesman.

"(Bush) was quickly getting out of the way and not wanting to engage us," said Jon Vandenburgh, a protester and a researcher for the United Steelworkers.

As a precaution, Bush was ushered into a station supply closet and stayed there until the crowd left.

The incident lasted about five minutes. No one was arrested or cited, Grove said.

Demonstrators said they later saw the governor enter the Duquesne Club.

A spokeswoman for the governor's office said Bush was taking a walk in Pittsburgh when his security detail from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement saw the protesters.

"The agents took an alternate route to get around them. The governor was safe at all times and had full confidence in the FDLE agents who were with him," Alia Faraj said Saturday.

News Max.com ~ Associated Press ** Jeb Bush Threatened by Protesters in Pa.

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 12:49 AM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 8 October 2006 7:02 AM EDT

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Mood:  sharp

The Muslim "Offense Level" has been raised

Just to remind you what the various levels mean:

LOW
Meaning - We are slightly miffed, although we are not sure why. We think we are not as popular as we would like to be.
Non-Muslim response - Tread very carefully and do not offend us.
Consequence of non-compliance - We will get very cross and stamp our feet.

GUARDED
Meaning - We are quite offended, because people are generally picking on us.
Non-Muslim response - Stop making jokes about us.
Consequence of non-compliance - We will rant on about "Islamophobia" and "Orientalism", although we don't understand what those words really mean.

ELEVATED
Meaning - We are definitely cross, because people keep blaming us for 9/11, Parisian cars getting torched, Saudi women getting stoned.
Non-Muslim response - Pretend that these things have nothing to do with Islam or Muslims, tell everyone how we brought algebra to 9th Century Spain.
Consequence of non-compliance - We will cause even more mayhem. Did you leave your car out in the street?

HIGH
Meaning - We are extremely offended by a particular individual or country.
Non-Muslim response - That individual or country must apologize.
Consequence of non-compliance - Individual; Fatwa, assassination, or both. Country; Boycott (unless you export things the Saudi Royal Family are consumers of), and Saudi newspapers write a long string of boring and repetitive articles that you will never read but will drive Saudi readers to distraction.

SEVERE
Meaning - We have had enough of your rudeness and ridicule and have gone completely ballistic.
Non-Muslim response - We demand that the Pope and President Bush go down on their knees and apologize personally for every rude thing that everyone has ever said about us over the last 1400 years, and promise that it won't happen again.
Consequence of non-compliance - We will cease the export of oil, therefore depriving the numerous Saudi Royal Family of all income, we will cease the import of all cars, tanks, airplanes (military and civil), computers, building technology, infrastructure and general professional expertise, and we will stop visiting Western fleshpots like the South of France, the USA, London..... Honest. We will. We really mean it this time. Just you wait. We really will. You better believe it. We're not kidding. We're telling you. Honest. Don't make us do it...

Anyway, we are now on HIGH, so watch out.

This might be funny, if it wasn't so damn true!

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 12:14 AM EDT

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Mood:  spacey

BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS

Philadelphia schools promote 'gay' agenda

District threatens truancy charges against parents who keep kids home

The Philadelphia School District has launched a new advance in the battle to indoctrinate school children into the "gay" agenda with its announcement that October is "Gay and Lesbian History Month."

And a report on Family News in Focus said officials there will make sure parents relinquish their children for that "education."

"If there is a parent who wants to remove their child from school," district spokesman Fernando Gallard told the report, "they would have to deal with the truancy regulations."

His comments came after a number of protests erupted over the school system's formalization of its "gay" agenda recognition.

The district reports that it already has had about 120 complaints about the recognition, even though Gallard explained there are no special activities associated with the formal recognition.

One of those complaints was from a parent who said she would keep her child home for the month, and that prompted Gallard's threat.

School officials say they added the recognition this year "to be more inclusive" and follow a district policy requiring equity for all races and minority groups, according to Cecilia Cummings, a school community relations executive.

However, of the many minorities available for recognition, the only other groups receiving that are the Hispanic Heritage in September, African American in February and Asian Pacific American in May, officials confirmed, all three racial minorities.

"We knew that this would be controversial," Cummings told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "When you deal with diversity, there are some hot-button issues that emerge."

Parent Senita Watson took it a step further than many, traveling to school district headquarters to see about arrangements for her to homeschool her daughter for October.

"How can you celebrate gay and lesbian month? What are you going to teach my daughter," she demanded. She also called on other parents to boycott the district.

Leaders within the "gay" movement have praised the school district's decision to promote, at its own expense, their goals. A "gay" newspaper Philadelphia used the school district's announcement for a promotion, asking a survey question on its website about whether schools should be teaching "gay" perspectives.

They already are, according to Alberta Wilson, of Faith First Education Assistant Corp. She told Family News in Focus that even elementary school phonics cards have been through the "'gay" editing process.

"They're teaching three syllable words, the word 'fam-i-ly,'" she told Focus. "And on those phonics cards they have a mom and a dad, an elderly grandparent and grandfather raising children, and then they have two men and two women," she said.

"They are teaching our young children that this is acceptable and that they should tolerate it. It is an outrage; it's against God, and God is not pleased."

One e-mail about the situation gave rise to a new perspective on the issue.

"Whatever happened to the separation of church and the state, that liberals keep harping about? Everyone knows, or should know that homosexuality is one of the tenets of the church of the devil. So, why is it that the devil's tenets can be espoused in school, but not the word of God?"

"Besides, is there a month for heterosexuality?"

Cummings said school officials have heard such questions over and over, but the district hasn't made plans for any such balancing recognition.

And Peter LaBarbera, president of the conservative Americans for Truth, told Baptist Press in promoting homosexual rights "by definition you have to undermine people's religious rights and religious beliefs.

"If you have a gay history month, you're basically saying, 'This is a wonderful part of American history – homosexual history – let's celebrate it and let's teach the kids that this is like civil rights.' Are they going to teach the role that homosexual behavior had in the onset of HIV and AIDS?"

Related special offers:
Get Ann Coulter's latest and hottest book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism"
"The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom"
"The Gay Agenda: It's Dividing the Family, the Church, and a Nation"
"Back Fired," by William J. Federer, shows how the faith that gave birth to tolerance is no longer tolerated!
"The Little Book of Big Reasons to Homeschool"

Previous stories:
Gov. Arnold 'terminates' man-and-woman' marriage plan
2 more 'sexual indoctrination' bills vetoed
Sexual indoctrination bill vetoed
Hundreds rally to threaten Gov. Arnold with 'veto'
Gov. Arnold urged to cancel sexual indoctrination
California Christians urged to yank kids
Gov. Arnold tosses school moral codes
Dobson: Tell Arnold to halt 'gay' agenda

World Net Daily.com **
Philadelphia schools promote 'gay' agenda

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 4:03 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 8 October 2006 7:05 AM EDT

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Mood:  chatty

Full Image: Keisha Castle-Hughes, who rose to fame thanks to her Oscar-nominated role in Whale Rider, is expecting a child with her boyfriend.

Young 'Whale Rider' actress pregnant

NEW YORK -- Keisha Castle-Hughes is growing up fast. The 16-year-old actress, who was nominated for a best-actress Oscar for her role in 2002's Whale Rider, is expecting a baby in the spring, the agency that represents her confirmed Friday.

The father is her boyfriend of three years, Bradley Hull, 19.

Castle-Hughes, who was born in Australia, played the Queen of Naboo in last year's Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith. She will be seen next as Mary in The Nativity Story, set for release Dec. 1.

USA Today ~ Associated Press ** Young 'Whale Rider' actress pregnant

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 3:12 PM EDT

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Mood:  loud

By Clay Waters

Give the New York Times half a point for fronting Edward Wyatt's Friday story, "Now on YouTube: Iraq Videos Of U.S. Troops Under Attack," about controversial clips posted on the popular video-sharing site YouTube.

But evasive wording like this rankles:

"Many of the videos, showing sniper attacks against Americans and roadside bombs exploding under American military vehicles, have been posted not by insurgents or their official supporters but apparently by Internet users in the United States and other countries, who have passed along videos found elsewhere."

What exactly is an "official supporter" of an insurgent, and where does one sign up? The "unofficial" supporters spreading jihadist fantasies online are bad enough.

Wyatt paints the videos, which he admits have previously been available on "jiahdist Web sites," as some kind of public service:

"At a time when the Bush administration has restricted photographs of the coffins of military personnel returning to the United States and the Pentagon keeps close tabs on videotapes of combat operations taken by the news media, the videos give average Americans a level of access to combat scenes rarely available before, if ever.

"Their availability has also produced some backlash. In recent weeks, YouTube has removed dozens of the videos from its archives and suspended the accounts of some users who have posted them, a reaction, it said, to complaints from other users."

Deep inside the story, Wyatt admits that some of the clips are "propaganda":

"Some of the videos are obvious propaganda, with Arabic subtitles and accompanying music, while others simply have scenes without sound or graphics. They appear to be real, though the results of attacks are not always clear."

Another angle the Times misses is something Michelle Malkin has pointed out: Videos featuring criticism of Muslims have also been routinely pulled from the YouTube archives, while many of the clearly jihadist videos remain. NewsBusters Al Brown has more on that angle.

For more New York Times bias, visit TimesWatch.

News Busters ~ Clay Waters **
NY Times Paints Online Iraqi Insurgent Propaganda Videos as Public Service
Clay Waters's blog | login or register to post comments
Categories: Blogs | Iraq | New York Times | War on Terrorism | YouTube

Related: News Busters ~ Al Brown ** Jihad Is Just All Right with Them

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 1:47 AM EDT

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Mood:  cheeky

Economy adds 51,000 jobs in September; unemployment rate dips

WASHINGTON -- Employers added just 51,000 jobs in September, far below expectations, although the unemployment rate slipped to 4.6%, according to a government report Friday.

The jobs report, which showed weakness in construction, manufacturing and retail, could keep the Fed on the sidelines when policymakers meet Oct. 24 and 25 to discuss interest rate policy. At their September meeting, Fed officials left their target for short-term interest rates unchanged for a second time, saying the economy is slowing enough to keep inflation contained.

Friday's closely watched report on non-farm payrolls from the Labor Department also showed the unemployment rate dipped from 4.7% in August. The unemployment rate and the payroll report are derived from two different surveys.

The 51,000-job gain in September was the weakest since October 2005, when only 37,000 jobs were added after the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Economists had forecast non-farm payrolls to grow by 125,000 last month, according to a Reuters poll last week.

But August payrolls were revised up to a gain of 188,000 from an originally reported 128,000, while July was revised to a gain of 123,000 from 121,000.

The report showed average hourly earnings rose a lower-than-expected 0.2%, or 4 cents, last month, after an upwardly revised 0.2% gain in August. Analysts had expected a 0.3% rise in September.

In both September and August, average hourly earnings rose 4.0% from a year earlier, highest since a 4.1% gain in March 2001. The August figure was revised up from a 3.9% year-on-year gain.

In addition, the length of the average workweek was unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 33.8 hours in September. The manufacturing workweek fell 0.2 hour to 41.1 hours.

USA Today ~ Reuters ** Economy adds just 51,000 jobs in September; unemployment rate dips

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 4:46 PM EDT

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Mood:  silly

N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin Supports Rep. William Jefferson

Mayor Ray Nagin says he's enthusiastically supporting eight-term U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, who is the target of a federal bribery investigation and faces his first real opposition since his first campaign.

"I've told the congressman that since he supported me during the mayor's race, that I would reciprocate," Nagin said Thursday.

Nagin said Jefferson, who faces 12 challengers in the Nov. 7 primary, was one of the few local elected officials to stand by him during his tough re-election campaign last spring.

The congressman denies the bribery allegations and has not been charged, but a former Jefferson aide and a Kentucky businessman have pleaded guilty in an alleged scheme to get kickbacks for helping the businessman get contracts in Africa.

Nagin often talks about his efforts to clean corruption out of City Hall. He said he's not worried about how his endorsement will play nationally.

"Unless he is indicted prior to the election date, I do not believe my reciprocated support will generate a story with any type of legs," Nagin said. "His experience and relationships in Washington - even in its current subdued form - should be helpful for our city and state going forward."

Nagin has often praised Jefferson's help in steering billions of dollars in federal hurricane recovery aid to the flood-ravaged region, and invited Jefferson to speak at his June 1 inaugural.

The mayor said he will help Jefferson any way he can in the weeks ahead.

During the mayor's race, Jefferson agreed to be used in a campaign mailer and recorded a radio spot and an automated phone message on Nagin's behalf.

"We'll do the same thing," Nagin said. "You should see that soon."

The 18-month federal investigation became public with separate raids on Jefferson's homes in New Orleans and Washington during the summer of 2005. In May, the FBI made an unprecedented raid on his Capitol Hill office.

According to government affidavits, Jefferson is allegedly took bribes to help promote a cable television and Internet business in Nigeria and Ghana. An FBI affidavit said he was videotaped accepting a briefcase with $100,000 in $100 bills on July 30, 2005, and all but $10,000 of the cash was found four days later in the freezer of his Washington home.

In June, he was ousted from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

"I am thrilled to have the mayor's support for my re-election," Jefferson said in a written statement. "We have worked well together and will continue to work as a team for our city's recovery."

Ed Renwick, director of Loyola University's Institute of Politics, said he wasn't surprised by the endorsement.

"The controversy swirling around people doesn't seem to bother Ray Nagin," Renwick said. "He's made so many controversial statements and decisions himself."

He noted that Nagin was the only prominent black Democrat in Louisiana to endorse Republican Bobby Jindal in the 2003 runoff for governor against Democrat Kathleen Blanco.

Renwick said the political risk for the term-limited Nagin, who has no stated plans to run for another office, is negligible.

"He's already engaged in so many strange political machinations," he said. "What's one more?"

News Max.com ~ Associated Press **
N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin Supports Rep. William Jefferson

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 4:18 PM EDT

Updated: Friday, 6 October 2006 4:24 PM EDT

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