“Over the years, I’ve had numerous occasions to attend religious services in a variety of houses of worship. And while there is no single set of rules for “non-members” that covers all faiths, I’ve discovered a general set of principles that have tided me well in these trips…”

“The court also held that “the purported ‘right to marry a person of the same sex’” requires first “asserting that marriage includes the union of two persons of the same sex,” and concluded: “A fatal flaw in this position is that it assumes the truth of the proposition to be proved.” To the claim that same-sex marriage is rooted in the nation’s history and tradition, the court responded, “Plainly, it is not.” Where Judge Walker believed the only rationale for defining marriage as the union of a husband and wife was animus, the Texas decision found legitimate state interests in doing so…”

“If your children attend public school, you are among those parents whose rights will end the moment your child enters the school. That’s because in 2005 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found in Fields v. Palmdale School District ‘that the Meyer-Pierce right [of parents to direct the upbringing of their children] does not exist beyond the threshold of the school door.’ You read that right. Parental Rights ‘[do] not exist beyond the threshold of the school door.’…

“A growing number of New York construction workers are vowing not to work on the mosque planned near Ground Zero… The grass-roots movement is gaining momentum on the Internet. One construction worker created the “Hard Hat Pledge” on his blog and asked others to vow not to work on the project if it stays on Park Place…”

“[a moving picture] shot from a streetcar traveling down Market Street in San Francisco in 1905. Before the earthquake/fire of 1906 destroyed the area.”

“This map shows all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during 2010. If exact coordinates are not provided, estimated positions are shown based on information provided. Zoom-in and click on the pointers to view more information of an individual attack. Pointers may be superimposed on each other.”

“As if investors weren’t feeling edgy enough about the stock market as economic fears mount again, now there’s the “Hindenburg Omen” to worry about. Or not… All four conditions for the omen were met in Thursday’s trading session, the first time that’s happened since June 2008. Three months after that last signal, of course, was the start of the market meltdown that followed the collapse of Lehman Bros…”

“…For years, I’ve heard complaints from Christians about why Harry Potter should be avoided at all costs – though they are quick to defend, praise and all but worship JRR Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” series and CS Lewis books. It’s frustrating on several levels. First, JK Rowling is an amazing author – both in style and story telling. Second, you simply cannot love Tolkein’s work and reject Rowling’s based on Christian principles. In fact, if anything, you should be quick to defend Rowling for making such an obvious parallel to the pained life, death and resurrection of Christ…”

“Thousands of British online banking customers have fallen victim to a sophisticated attack by cyber criminals who have stolen thousands of pounds from their accounts. About 3,000 online banking customers have been victims of a computer virus attack that empties their accounts while showing them fake statements so the scam goes undetected…”

“Fred and I packed up the boys and some quickie Dollar Store purchases and headed over to Amy’s and Chris’ after dinner tonight to celebrate a time-honored tradition in our friend group: pranking the heck out of the newlyweds’ house. This tradition started almost seven years ago when Fred and I got married. It wasn’t out house that got it. It was Fred’s car. Aside from the usual painted messages and cans tied to the back…”

“Social Security will pay out more this year than it gets in payroll taxes, marking the first time since the program will be in the red since it was overhauled in 1983, according to the annual authoritative report released Thursday by the program’s actuary…”

Does anybody see anything wrong with this picture???

“Quick. Name a legislative issue on which U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint agrees with the House Democratic leadership, i.e., Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It’s OK. We would have had a tough time, too, until South Carolina’s junior Republican senator sent out a news release last week headlined, ‘DeMint Praises U.S. House for Moving to Pass FAA Extension with Essential Safety Provisions.’ “

“A struggling family facing foreclosure has stumbled upon what is considered to be the Holy Grail of comic books in their basement – a fortuitous find that could fetch upwards of a quarter million dollars at auction…”

“…Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect… Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life…”

“…The Internet, blogosphere, New Media, and everyone owning a video camera device has made the “Army of Davids” also an check and balance on the “Big Brother” State. In fact, one could argue that We, The People are the true Big Brother (in a good way) by constantly monitoring and calling out the never ending moves toward tyranny by the Federal Government…”

“In these difficult economic times, many Americans are wary of buying items they’ll use just once or twice and then store in the garage. But for those times you really need a hedge clipper, bread maker or camping stove, there’s a social networking site called NeighborGoods.net. The site is an inventory of items users are willing to lend…”

“A conservative blog posts 2 minutes, 38 seconds of video clips of a black federal agriculture official saying she didn’t do everything she could to help a white farmer. The blogger labels it racism. Calls grow for the Obama administration to remove her. No one at the Agriculture Department or the White House checks further. The official is forced to resign. Monday ends, but not the story…”

“At 2:10 p.m. ET, Spitz issued this statement:

‘I made poorly considered remarks about Rush Limbaugh to what I believed was a private email discussion group from my personal email account. As a publicist, I realize more than anyone that is no excuse for irresponsible behavior. I apologize to anyone I may have offended and I regret these comments greatly; they do not reflect the values by which I conduct my life.’ …”

“The New York soup shop immortalized by the Seinfeld show’s “Soup Nazi” character reopened Tuesday in Midtown Manhattan after a hiatus of six years. There was a line around the block, but the soup man himself — Al Yeganeh — was unavailable. He has never been amused at his portrayal in the sitcom and the media…”

“…On Journolist, there was rarely such thing as an honorable political disagreement between the left and right, though there were many disagreements on the left. In the view of many who’ve posted to the list-serv, conservatives aren’t simply wrong, they are evil. And while journalists are trained never to presume motive, Journolist members tend to assume that the other side is acting out of the darkest and most dishonorable motives…”

“Well, there are a whole bunch of Muslim Facebook users who aren’t too happy with the site. Apparently, it doesn’t sufficiently cater to their faith. First, it suspended four popular pages that broke its Terms of Service; second, it didn’t immediately cancel and ban some pages that promoted the “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” event. If Facebook doesn’t prove it’s a good little dhimmi, they’ll leave it for a more Islamic-centric social networking site…”

“Never has there been so little diversity within America’s upper crust…

“…Hence whether formally in government, out of it, or halfway, America’s ruling class speaks the language and has the tastes, habits, and tools of bureaucrats. It rules uneasily over the majority of Americans not oriented to government…

“…The two classes have less in common culturally, dislike each other more, and embody ways of life more different from one another than did the 19th century’s Northerners and Southerners — nearly all of whom, as Lincoln reminded them, “prayed to the same God.” By contrast, while most Americans pray to the God “who created and doth sustain us,” our ruling class prays to itself as “saviors of the planet” and improvers of humanity….

“…Nowadays, the members of our ruling class admit that they do not read the laws. They don’t have to. Because modern laws are primarily grants of discretion, all anybody has to know about them is whom they empower…

“This is all about a class of Americans distinguishing itself from its inferiors. It recalls the Pharisee in the Temple: ‘Lord, I thank thee that I am not like other men…’

“In sum, our ruling class does not like the rest of America. Most of all does it dislike that so many Americans think America is substantially different from the rest of the world and like it that way…”

“…Discussing Babywise or the Preparation for Parenting series can result in conversations that range from slightly awkward to downright volatile. Dialoguing about parenting choices tends to lend itself to a posture of defensiveness for nearly all of us. How can we have peaceful, grace-filled conversations with others about a topic that is often a catalyst for divisiveness?…”

“…But Carnahan’s campaign wasn’t able to completely sell out the Folly Theater, where Obama will appear for a grassroots event on Carnahan’s behalf, at the prices they wanted. Tickets once priced at $250 are now going for $99, while $35 tickets are half off…”