A Las Vegas mother is battling a local hospital over the ownership of a placenta. Anne Swanson gave birth at Sunrise Hospital last month, and wants her placenta so she can ingest it for its nutrients. But Swanson says the hospital has told her the organ was contaminated, and she would have to go to court to get it back. Yesterday, Swanson and a group of other women protested outside the Maryland Parkway hospital, with signs reading “Free the Placenta.” A spokeswoman for Sunrise Hospital would not discuss the case, but says placentas are kept in cold storage for three days and are disposed if there is no request to keep it. Swanson says she’ll contact the ACLU and Planned Parenthood to get the placenta back. But because it is contaminated, she has no plans to turn it into pills for consumption. Traditional Chinese medicine suggests that the excess hormones in placentas can treat postpartum depression.

This is by far one of most disgusting things of heard of in a while. Misery loves company so I had to post it. BLAH!

TM & © 2006 KXNT Radio Inc

(CBS/AP)– Barack Obama, caught up in the fervor of a campaign speech Tuesday, drastically overstated the Kansas tornadoes death toll, saying thousands had died.

“In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed,” Obama said in a 27-minute speech to 500 people packed into a sweltering art studio for a fundraiser.

The death toll was 12.

Obama mentioned the disaster in saying he had been told by the office of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that the state’s National Guard had been depleted by its commitment to the Iraq War. “Turns out that the National Guard in Kansas only had 40 percent of its equipment and they are having to slow down the recovery process in Kansas,” Obama said, his shirt sleeves rolled up and his head glistening with sweat. As he concluded his remarks a few minutes later, he appeared to realize his faux pas. “There are going to be times when I get tired. There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes,” he said. Obama spokesman Bill Burton said later that the senator meant to say “at least 10,” instead of 10,000. Whatever.

Pope Benedict on Wednesday warned Catholic politicians they risked excommunication from the Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion. Speaking to reporters as he flew to Brazil, the Pope was asked whether he supported Mexican Church leaders threatening to excommunicate leftist parliamentarians who last month voted to legalize abortion in Mexico City.The Pope replied, “Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon (church) law which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ,” he said. They (Mexican Church leaders) did nothing new, surprising or arbitrary. They simply announced publicly what is contained in the law of the Church… which expresses our appreciation for life and that human individuality, human personality is present from the first moment (of life). Selfishness and fear are at the root of (pro-abortion) legislation,” he said. “We in the Church have a great struggle to defend life . . . life is a gift not a threat.”

Under Church law, someone who knowingly does or backs something which the Church considers a grave sin, such as abortion, inflicts what is known as “automatic excommunication” on themselves.

GAZA CITY,  (AP) – Hamas militants  have enlisted the iconic Mickey Mouse to broadcast their message of Islamic dominion and armed resistance to their most impressionable audience—little kids.A giant black-and-white rodent—named “Farfour,” or “butterfly,” but unmistakably a Mickey ripoff—does his high-pitched preaching against the U.S. and Israel on a children’s show run each Friday on Al-Aqsa TV, a station run by Hamas. The militant group, sworn to Israel’s destruction, shares power in the Palestinian Government.

“You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists,” Farfour squeaked on a recent episode of the show, which is titled, “Tomorrow’s Pioneers. We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers.”

Children call in to the show, many singing Hamas anthems about fighting Israel. Israel has long complained that the Palestinian airwaves are filled with incitement. An Israeli company that monitors Palestinian media, Palestinian Media Watch, said the Mickey Mouse lookalike takes “every opportunity to indoctrinate young viewers with teachings of Islamic supremacy, hatred of Israel and the U.S., and support of ‘resistance,’ the Palestinian euphemism for terror.” The television station would not comment.

A spokeswoman from Walt Disney Co.’s headquarters in Burbank, Calif., did not immediately return messages asking for comment about the use of a Disney-like character.  Yehia Moussa, a Hamas leader in the movement’s Gaza Strip base, denied inciting children against Jews. “Our problem is not with the Jews. Our problem is with the (Israeli) occupation and the occupiers,” Moussa said. Israeli officials denounced the program. David Baker, an official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office, said, “There is nothing comic about inciting young generations of Palestinians to hate Israelis.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev called the program “outrageous” and charged that the Palestinians have not carried out their commitments to stop incitement of hatred toward Israel. “Children are taught that killing Jews is a good thing,” he said. “Children are taught to hate Jews and to hate nonbelievers.” In strife-ridden Gaza, however, dreams of Islamic dominion and animosity toward the U.S. and Israel are widespread.

A Gaza-based psychologist said the program proved that the culture of glorifying violence had penetrated Palestinian society. “It’s the fault of both (Israel and the Palestinians),” said Samir Zakkout, from the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. “If Palestinians had peace, children wouldn’t learn violence.”  Children have been traumatized by bloodshed in the course ofIsraeli attacks and Palestinian infighting, he said. “There’s been a collapse of values,” he said. “If I can kill my enemy, I can kill my brother.”

Basem Abu Sumaya, head of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp., said such programming was inappropriate. “I don’t think it’s professional or even humane to use children in such harsh political programs,” Abu Sumaya said. “Children’s nationalist spirit must be developed differently.” The Palestinian Broadcasting Corp. is controlled by Hamas’ political rival, the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas loyalists launched the Al Aqsa satellite channel last year. Bearded young men read the news, often offering live news broadcasts. Islamic music is layered over footage of masked militants firing rockets into Israel. But the channel also broadcasts talk shows, programs about the disabled and cartoons. Hamas loyalists also run at least five news Web sites, one newspaper—launched just last week—and a radio station. 

                                                                                                                                                                 A majority of American university faculty members view evangelical Christians unfavorably and would like to see the influence of “Christian fundamentalists” on American politics lessened, according to a study released Monday by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research (IJCR).

The survey, which polled more than 1,200 university faculty members, found that 53 percent of them have “cool” or “unfavorable” feelings toward evangelicals, a group that may account for one-third of the American population. The study also found that one-third of faculty members had a negative view of Mormons.

Hopefully this research will prompt College Professors to examine their own prejudices. President Gary Tobin, co-author of the study said, “It’s unlikely that faculty would give students poor grades because of their religious beliefs, but that’s the least of it. It is likely to play out in subtle ways in treating students as intellectually strong or not intellectually strong, encouraging them to participate or not encouraging them to participate.” There is no doubt that there is room for improvement concerning the level of tolerance displayed within any given University classroom. Tobin points out, “evangelical Christian [students] do not want to talk openly about their identities and beliefs. The prejudice against them stands out prominently in institutions dedicated to liberalism, tolerance, and academic freedom.”

ISRAEL – The tomb of King Herod was discovered late Monday evening after decades of searching. Named the official King of Judea in 74 B.C. by Antony, Octavus and Augustus; King Herod. Thought accredited with the rebuilding of the second Temple in Jerusalem, Herod is more widely known for his decree of infanticide of all male children under two years of age within Bethlahem. This was his defensive response to the news that a baby Christ being hailed as the King of the Jews, had been born.  His gravesite was found at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem. the tomb was found by archaeologist Ehud Netzer, a Hebrew University professor who has been working at Herodium since 1972. The paper said the tomb was in a previously unexplored area between the two palaces Herod built on the site. Herod died in 4 B.C. in Jericho.

Read More about King Herod:
NewsMax
Biography of King Herod
Wikipedia

WASHINGTON POST- “When the neighborhood dry cleaner misplaced Roy Pearson’s pants, he took action. He complained. He demanded compensation. And then he sued. Man, did he sue. Pearson is demanding $65,462,500. The original alteration work on the pants cost $10.50. By the way, Pearson is a lawyer. Okay, you probably figured that. But get this: He’s a judge, too — an administrative law judge for the District of Columbia.” This guy is the epitome of someone who enjoys arguing purely for the sake of it. I’d hate to make a mistake in his presence, hasn’t  he ever heard the idea of forgive and forget? $65 Million! He also argues that he is suing for so much on behalf of all District of Columbia citizens who have had their “satisfaction guaranteed,” and not had those expectations met. Who really cares, it’s a pair of pants, move on!

NEWSMAX- “The U.S. Senate may vote later this month on an energy bill that would by 2020 require that 15 percent of U.S. electricity be produced by renewable sources such as wind and solar. The same bill would require 10 percent of federal power purchases to be produced by “green” methods by 2010. I truly believe the benefits from this would be emmense.” Not to label myself as a tree hugging hippy, but I do have a soft spot for the environment. Green living offers better health, comfort, environmental and community benefits as well as time and money breaks. This bill would also force Americans to think about what they use and how much they waste at least in regards to energy. I say, “bring on the reality check!”

More About Going Green:
What is Green Power?
What are Renewable Sources?
Green Living
Green Homes
Green Cars
 

NewsMax – “Disgraced radio host Don Imus will sue CBS Radio for the huge portion of his $40 million contract that was left unpaid after he was fired for racist and sexist comments, his attorney said Thursday.

Martin Garbus, a First Amendment attorney, said the case involved simple contract law rather than any constitutional issues. Garbus cited a contract clause where CBS acknowledged that Imus’ services were “unique, extraordinary, irreverent, intellectual, topical, controversial.” The clause said Imus’s programming was “desired by company and … consistent with company rules and policy,” according to Garbus.

Imus, 66, was barely three months into the five-year deal with CBS when he was dismissed April 12 after describing the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos” on his nationally syndicated radio program. “

Opinion Poll
Should Don Imus Make a Comback?