Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Almanacs “EDITORIAL: Jesus, no, but yes to Allah - Washington Times” plus 4 more

Almanacs “EDITORIAL: Jesus, no, but yes to Allah - Washington Times” plus 4 more


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EDITORIAL: Jesus, no, but yes to Allah - Washington Times

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 06:21 AM PST

Senate Democrats are proving once again that no judicial nominee is too extreme for them to stomach. A move seems to be afoot to open debate on the Senate floor this week on the nomination of David Hamilton of Indiana to the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. This judge is a radical's radical.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter on Friday to his fellow senators outlining his objections to Mr. Hamilton, who is a federal district judge. The senator first objected to Judge Hamilton's stated belief that judges should effectively amend the Constitution - "writing footnotes to the Constitution," the judge called it - through evolving case law. Second, Judge Hamilton has publicly and specifically embraced the president's "empathy standard," which even Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has now openly rejected.

Third, Judge Hamilton in many cases has shown an extreme hostility against innocuous expressions of religion in the public square. Mr. Sessions noted, though, that Judge Hamilton's odd ruling in Hinrichs v. Bosma "prohibited prayers in the Indiana House of Representatives that expressly mentioned Jesus Christ ... yet he allowed prayers which mentioned Allah."

Fourth, Mr. Sessions pointed out that "lawyers in the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary describe Judge Hamilton as one of the most lenient judges in his district on criminal matters," including the case of a police officer who videotaped his own sexual encounters with two teenagers. The senator also objects to the judge's extreme actions in blocking an "informed consent" law on abortion.

Finally, in light of the property rights movement stemming from the Supreme Court's infamous Kelo decision, property rights advocates may want to take a close look at his representation of the city of Indianapolis in 1992 in Reel Pipe and Valve Co. v. City of Indianapolis, in which property owners were forced to sell property against their will to benefit other private "economic development."

An Obama administration official has said the nomination is "a kind of signal" about the sorts of judges the president wants. In reviewing Judge Hamilton's record, that signal should be seen as a red light warning senators to stop this nomination.

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The Almanac - Nov. 3 - Post Chronicle

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 04:48 AM PST

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 3, the 307th day of 2009 with 58 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Venus, Mars, Saturn and Mercury. The evening stars are Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include early Texas leader Stephen Austin, for whom the state capital is named, in 1793; poet William Cullen Bryant in 1794; Chicago Bears legend Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski in 1908; actor Charles Bronson in 1922; conductor/composer John Barry, entertainer Ken Berry and former Massachusetts governor and 1986 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, all in 1933 (age 76); comedian Roseanne Barr in 1952 (age 57); comedian Dennis Miller and actress Kate Capshaw, both in 1953 (age 56); and actress Kathy Kinney ("The Drew Carey Show") in 1954 (age 55).

On this date in history:

In 1783, with American independence established, Congress ordered the Continental Army demobilized.

In 1803, with the support of the U.S. government, Panama issued a declaration of independence from Colombia.

In 1928, Mickey Mouse appeared for the first time, with Walt Disney doing the voice of his soon-to-be-famous creation, in "Steamboat Willie," the first fully synchronized sound cartoon produced.

In 1948, the Chicago Daily Tribune printed the famously premature (and incorrect) headline, "Dewey defeats Truman."

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first animal into space -- a dog named Laika -- aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft.

In 1964, Lyndon Johnson was elected U.S. president with a margin larger than in any previous election, defeating Republican Barry Goldwater.

In 1976, former Democratic Gov. Jimmy Carter of Georgia was elected the 39th U.S. president, defeating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford.

In 1979, five members of the Communist Workers Party, participating in a "Death to the Klan" rally in Greensboro, N.C., were shot to death by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis. Seven others were wounded.

In 1992, Democrat Bill Clinton, the governor of Arkansas, defeated incumbent Republican President George H.W. Bush in the race for president of the United States.

In 1995, Typhoon Angela killed more than 700 people in the northern Philippines.

In 2001, Osama bin Laden, in a taped message, called the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan a war against Islam.

Also in 2001, anthrax spores were confirmed in India and Pakistan and on additional postal equipment in the United States.

In 2002, North Korea was reported ready to negotiate its newly disclosed nuclear weapons program with the United States, including the dismantling of its uranium-enrichment facilities.

In 2004, Hamid Karzai was officially declared the winner in Afghanistan's first presidential election.

In 2006, Katharine Jefferts Schori was installed as the first female presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church.

Also in 2006, Taipei protesters demanded the ouster of Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian whose wife and former aides were accused of misusing state funds.

In 2007, citing a rising Islamic insurgency, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency, suspended the country's constitution and fired members of the supreme court. Former premier and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was held under house arrest to keep her from a planned protest march.

In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain wound up their campaigning for the presidency of the United States with one more thrust into key election states. The final pre-election Gallup poll indicated Obama as the probable winner with an 11-percentage-point edge.

Also in 2008, Afghan officials said a U.S. airstrike hit a wedding party in the southern province of Kandahar, killing a reported 40 civilians and wounding 30 others.

A thought for the day: in his second inaugural address, U.S. President Bill Clinton said: "Government is not the problem and government is not the solution. We, the American people, we are the solution." (c) UPI

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M-A girls topple top seeds, win NorCal polo title - The Almanac Online

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 12:59 AM PST

By Keith Peters
Palo Alto Online

The only blemish on the Menlo-Atherton girls' water polo schedule this season is a loss to Davis in the third match of the season. That's it. Otherwise, the Bears have been downright perfect with a 23-1 record.

There was a slight chance that M-A could avenge that loss during last weekend's NorCal Invitational at UC Davis, but it didn't happen. Nor did it need to.

"St. Francis took care of Davis early and they were in the other side of the bracket," explained M-A coach Chris Rubin. "So, there was little chance we'd face them. But, that loss was early in the season and we felt like we could take care of them (had they met)."

The Bears proved they could take care of just about anyone in the state after topping No. 2 seed Campolindo (5-4) in the semifinals and then No. 1 Monte Vista (Danville), 4-3, in the championship on Saturday to become the first public school from the Peninsula to win the invitational.

"There were some who believed Monte Vista could be one of the top teams in the state," said Rubin, who added the win over Monte Vista was his team's most significant of the season. "Saturday was a great day for us. Definitely, it was a huge weekend."

The Bears went 4-0 in the two-day tournament that brought together many of the top teams in Northern California. Monte Vista featured Maggie Steffens and Kelly Mendoza, members of the U.S. Junior National Team. Steffens' older sister, Jessica, plays for Stanford and was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Menlo-Atherton, however, had its own standouts in sisters Becca and Emily Dorst plus a very deep and experienced roster. The Bears grabbed a 3-1 halftime lead and Rubin said he could see in his players' eyes that they knew they could win.

Monte Vista posted solo goals in the third and fourth periods to tie the match, but M-A junior MJ O'Neill scored with 1:30 for the eventual winner.

"We still had to make two stops on defense," Rubin said. Becca Dorst blanketed Mendoza on Monte Vista's final possession, giving the Bears the ball with 10 seconds to play.

"The defense was stellar," Rubin.

Emily Dorst came up with 12 saves while O'Neill added two assists and two steals while Becca Dorst scored twice and sophomore reserve Brittany Krappe added a solo goal. Remarkably, Rubin was able to play 11 of his 15 players.

"There was no way, if my starters had to pace themselves, that we could win that game," said Rubin, who has spent this season making sure everyone got a chance to play. That valuable experience for the reserve players paid off in a big way Saturday.

"Five years ago, in my first year, I just focused on six kids," Rubin explained. "I think that hurt us last year (in a loss to St. Francis in the CCS Division I finals). I should have gone to my bench more (during the season)."

This season he has, and he feels comfortable with whomever is in the pool.

Emily Dorst finished the tournament with 46 blocks while Becca Dorst tallied nine goals and had 12 steals.

The third-seeded Bears, who have won 21 straight this season, reached the title match with a 5-4 victory over No. 2 seed Campolindo. Becca Dorst led the way with four goals and five steals while Emily stopped 11 shots. The Bears trailed by 4-3 going into the fourth quarter.

On the first day, senior Vanessa Lane scored three goals and Emily Dorst had 18 saves in a 7-2 second-round win over St. Francis (Sacramento). The Bears opened the tourney with a 13-5 victory over St. Ignatius. Lane led the way with three goals and four steals while nine players scored.

Sacred Heart Prep (17-7) finished seventh in the tournament following a 5-3 victory over St. Francis (Sacramento) on Saturday. Emily Parsons scored two goals and goalie Catherine Donahoe had 10 saves for the Gators.

Sacred Heart went 2-2 in the tourney. The Gators opened with a 9-6 victory over Leland as Sarah Westcott scored three goals and Donahoe had 15 saves. In the second round, SHP dropped a 10-1 decision to Monte Vista. Donahoe had 10 saves.

On Saturday in Round 3, the Gators dropped a 4-2 match to Davis despite 14 saves by Donahoe before beating St. Francis (Sacramento).

Castilleja (16-8) finished ninth in the tournament, going 3-1 but failing to finish higher after losing its opener to Clovis West, 10-8. The Gators bounced back to beat Menlo (10-4), top St. Ignatius (9-6) and defeat Leland in the ninth-place game, 8-7. Senior Katie Eulau scored four goals against Leland, junior Natasha von Kaeppler led the way against SI with four goals and junior Sayeh Borzorghadad tallied five goals in the win over Menlo. Junior goalie Evan Cranston had 35 saves in the four matches.

Menlo-Atherton, Sacred Heart Prep, Castilleja and Menlo will all be busy again this week with league tournaments.

In the Peninsula Athletic League tourney, Menlo will host the Hillsdale/Mercy-Burlingame winneer on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Top-seeded Menlo-Atherton will host a semifinal on Friday at 3:15 p.m., while No. 2 Castilleja plays a semifinal on Friday (at Menlo-Atherton) at 4:30 p.m. The league finale will be Saturday (2 p.m.) in the Bears' pool.

Boys' water polo
Sacred Heart Prep went 3-1 and finished fifth at the annual Memorial Tournament last weekend at Bellarmine Prep in San Jose. The Gators (19-5) opened with an 11-6 win over Foothill (Santa Ana) but lost to Corona del Mar in the second round, 9-5.

Sacred Heart bounced back with an 8-7 win over Harvard-Westlake as David Culpan had five goals and goalie Ben Dearborn had eight saves. In the fifth-place game, SHP held off Miramonte, 10-9, at Culpan scored five goals and Connor Still added three. Senior backup goalie Beaugart Gerber made 10 saves for SHP.

Mater Dei won the tournament with Newport Harbor second. Sacred Heart Prep had the highest finish of any Northern California team while host Bellarmine finished eighth and ranked as the No. 2 team from the CCS.

Thursday: George Shultz at St. Bede's - The Almanac Online

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 12:38 AM PST

Former Secretary of State George Shultz will lead a discussion at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Menlo Park on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. The topic: his advocacy for a world free of nuclear weapons.

The discussion will center on a 50-minute documentary about the efforts by Mr. Shultz, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of Defense William Perry, and former Senator Sam Nunn, to "raise awareness about nuclear threats" and to "help build support for urgent actions needed to address nuclear threats," according to a St. Bede's spokesperson.

St. Bede's is located at 2650 Sand Hill Road, near Monte Rosa Drive.

Mr. Shultz is a fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, and a parishioner at St. Bede's, according to the spokesperson.

Daily almanac - Columbus Dispatch

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 12:52 AM PST

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 3, the 307th day of 2009. There are 58 days left in the year.

Highlights in History

• On Nov. 3, 1900, the first major U.S. automobile show opened at New York's Madison Square Garden under the auspices of the Automobile Club of America.

• In 1839, the first Opium War between China and Britain broke out.

• In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won a landslide election victory over Republican challenger Alfred M. "Alf" Landon.

• In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite, into orbit; on board was a dog named Laika who was sacrificed in the experiment.

• In 1964, President Johnson soundly defeated Republican Barry Goldwater to win a White House term in his own right.

• In 1979, five Communist

Workers Party members were killed in a clash with heavily armed Ku Klux Klansmen and neo-Nazis during an anti-Klan protest in Greensboro, N.C.

Ten years ago: Aaron McKinney was convicted of murder in the fatal beating of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Wyo-ming. (McKinney and Russell Henderson, who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murder, are serving life sentences.)

Five years ago: Hamid Karzai was declared the winner of Afghanistan's first presidential election after a three-week probe into vote fraud found no grounds to invalidate his triumph.

One year ago: Authorities announced they had identified some of Steve Fossett's remains, found a half-mile from where the adventurer's plane had crashed in California's Sierra Nevada.

Thought for Today

"In any war, the first casualty is common sense, and the second is free and open discussion." -- James Reston, American journalist (1909-95)

Source: Associated Press

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