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JG55

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  1. Gov. Scott Walker and the University of Wisconsin announce a "self-paced, competency-based" online degree model. "tudents will be allowed to start classes anytime and earn credit for what they already know...." “This new model for delivering higher education will help us close the skills gap at an affordable price to get Wisconsin working again,†Walker said in a press release. “As states across the country work to improve access and affordability in higher education, I am proud to support this exciting and innovative University of Wisconsin solution.†More at this PDF. This model promises to offer a more personalized college experience to every student in which students can begin and complete courses at any time. Competency exams can be taken from home or work to ensure flexibility and special computer software can be utilized to ensure academic honesty. One goal is to offer students smaller course segments or “modules.†Rather than molding coursework around a set timeframe, these modules can be designed to contain only the knowledge required within a specific competency. This could benefit working adults who need to start and pause their studies because of work and personal commitments. It could also benefit highly motivated students who are able to move through course materials at a faster pace. Courses in this new program will be based on competency, not seat time, so students can move on to the next topic when they have mastered the current material. Competency, not seat time... Posted by Ann Althouse at 12:43 PM 61 comments Tags: education, Scott Walker, the web, University of Wisconsin
  2. Does MSNBC not have any controls on what they put on the air.. This isn't funny.
  3. The Battle of Outpost Harry, Korea, June 10-18 1953 —Dave In Texas Hold at all costs. Three remote hills 60 miles north of Seoul. Tom, Dick and Harry. Five rifle companies, four American and one Greek, about 700 in total held the line against a full division of CCF(Communist Chinese Forces) supported with artillery. A division is 13 to 15 thousand soldiers. Those were twenty to one odds. Outpost Harry was on the hill in the foreground. The other hill, "Star Hill" was held by the Chinese forces. More below, including a video from the men who fought there and survived to tell us about what happened to them 59 years ago this week. Each night during this battle Outpost Harry was defended by a single company of soldiers. The Communist Chinese forces assaulted it brutally, successfully breaching the trenches several times, with desperate hand to hand combat. Each time repulsed. One night a company commander pulled his troops together, and called in fire on his own position. A week of night after night assaults, but they held. Those five rifle companies sustained 114 men killed, almost 500 wounded. They killed over 4,000 of their enemy. An Army Sergeant from Alabama, Ola L. Mize, Col. US Army (ret)was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in action on June 10 at Outpost Harry. In memory of the men who fought here, who together were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for their performance on Harry. King Company, 15th. Infantry Regiment for the night of June 10/11, Baker Company, 15 Infantry for the night of June 11/12, Able Company, 5th. Regimental Combat Team for the night of June 12/13 and Peter Company, Greek Battalion for the night of June 17/18. "In the annals of United States Infantry history it appears that this is the only time this many rifle companies received this distinguished award for an engagement of this type." Two videos (and fair warning, one has Charlie Rangel in it, and despite my contempt for him as a politician, he did serve in Korea.) WATCH THESE 2 VIDEOS BELOW. THEY GIVE THE ACCOUNT OF A 8 DAY BATTLE.... They held. The cost was terrible. This was the "forgotten war."
  4. OMG !!!
  5. After 115 Years Together, Tortoises Go Their Separate Ways By Mike Krumboltz | Love + Sex – 4 hours ago Two tortoises frolick. In Australia, another pair that zoo officials say were married 115 years have split up.Sometimes, 115 years of togetherness is enough. Bibi and Poldi, two giant tortoises at the Austrian Zoo, are (slowly) going their separate ways after more than a century of companionship. [Related: Near-extinct turtle bred on Bangladesh beach] The straw that broke the turtle's back came when Bibi (the female) began biting Poldi's shell. Whether turtle or human, gnawing on your partner's back is a sign that the relationship has hit a bumpy phase. Staff members of the Austrian zoo tried a variety of methods to re-light the flame of love, including aphrodisiacs, games, and couple's counseling. Alas, nothing worked. [Related: Caymans free turtle to honor Queen Elizabeth] Zoo director Helga Happ told the Austrian Times, "We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore." Poldi has been moved to another enclosure, a rather big move. Poldi and Bibi had shared space for 36 years. Before that, they lived together in Switzerland. [Related: The ancient turtle as big as a car] We don't recommend biting your partner as a way to get back on the singles scene, but you have to hand it to Bibi for making a big change after 115 years. It's like she's coming out of her shell.
  6. After 115 Years Together, Tortoises Go Their Separate Ways By Mike Krumboltz | Love + Sex – 4 hours ago Two tortoises frolick. In Australia, another pair that zoo officials say were married 115 years have split up.Sometimes, 115 years of togetherness is enough. Bibi and Poldi, two giant tortoises at the Austrian Zoo, are (slowly) going their separate ways after more than a century of companionship. [Related: Near-extinct turtle bred on Bangladesh beach] The straw that broke the turtle's back came when Bibi (the female) began biting Poldi's shell. Whether turtle or human, gnawing on your partner's back is a sign that the relationship has hit a bumpy phase. Staff members of the Austrian zoo tried a variety of methods to re-light the flame of love, including aphrodisiacs, games, and couple's counseling. Alas, nothing worked. [Related: Caymans free turtle to honor Queen Elizabeth] Zoo director Helga Happ told the Austrian Times, "We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore." Poldi has been moved to another enclosure, a rather big move. Poldi and Bibi had shared space for 36 years. Before that, they lived together in Switzerland. [Related: The ancient turtle as big as a car] We don't recommend biting your partner as a way to get back on the singles scene, but you have to hand it to Bibi for making a big change after 115 years. It's like she's coming out of her shell. http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/86at9QEP1Tqr4SvFOmqI9w--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2396958.0
  7. lol
  8. Coming home last night. As I approach my street I see a Box Turtle in the middle of the road. Not sure where he thinks he is going but I stop and decide I was going to pick him up and move him to safety. He had other ideas. Usually when I have approached a box turtle they go in their shell, not this one. He turned around and started scampering back from where he came. I baby stepped behind him and he kept moving until he got in yard where he stopped lifted his head all the way up, looked around and kept moving. Not sure which is funnier the box turtle acting like a pet or me baby stepping behind him while he does the turtle's version of scampering. LOL
  9. not promotin kroger per se but all gift cards get double points and they have plenty to chose from.
  10. I'm in the process of doing some remodeling and have been buying the lowes gift cards at Krogers. Gets you double the pionts for gas purchases. Right now through the 16th, Krogers is doing 4 x the pionts. Anyway i filled up today, took the maximum pionts I could take which was $2 off per gallon and filled up at jusr 24.00. I really miss those cheap gas days. Thanks to purchasing hardwood floors with the gift cards I now have 11000 pionts saved up for future gas dicounts at Krogers..
  11. Saw this movie last night. It's very good and kinda interesting in regards to what is going on today with the Catholic Church and our present Administration. It's worth your time to go see. I don't remember reading about this true story in history class or hearing about it in Parochial school. It's amazing to watch priests being hung, lined up and shot by firing squad, women, children being shot by government soldiers as well as so-called peasants being hung from telephone poles as a punishment/warning to others. To watch the bravery of a young boy who resists and is tortured, abandoned by his father and shot in the back for not giving in.. and later honored by the church for his heroism... all this and much more happened less than 83 years ago. You would of thought it was Roman Empire days. Just amazing, it's 2 1/2 hours long but I never got antsy or bored... :up: :up:
  12. There's video of Scott Walker drinking the milk straight from the carton. #WIUnionDesperation #WIunionDesperation Walker's mother's father father's mother mother's father is part Cherokee but he can't prove it Scott Walker birth certificate states he was born in the 57th state of our union #WIunionDesperation Scott Walker sneaks into your laundry room and takes that sock you're always missing. #WIunionDesperation Scott Walker says "They are so desperate... they have to make crap up..." "It is sickening… I think this will backfire, and I think there are a lot of Democrats across the state that will say that this is what is exactly what is fundamentally wrong about politics in America today." And he predicts that he'll win "by a large margin"... because "voters have had it — they’re disgusted and they’re ready to move on." Posted by Ann Althouse at 10:36 PM 19 comments Tags: Christian Schneider, Scott Walker, Wisconsin recall
  13. Try Federal automatch 325 to a box found at walmart.mine eats them without issue
  14. Bersa thunder 22lr . I really like mine
  15. paste
  16. Keep getting an error message saying I must post a message when trying to post a article in Political forum ? Posted tittle then posted article in body when i hit submit I get the error message
  17. JG55

    Why I Fight

    There are times when we are hit with a brick. There are times when God demands our attention. There are instances when the emotions of a moment are too rich. Sometimes, those moments all hit you at the same time. WHY I FIGHT As a Soldier, when I was deployed, I told those close to me that I had resigned my fate. I understood that each time I kissed my wife goodbye, it could be my last. Saying goodbye to my daughter in her crib at 14 months could be the only slightest memory she would have of me. And it was for them, I served my country. The trick is…once you have resigned your fate and after you come back, life is no longer about you. You have to make it about them…it is all there is left. I fight for my children. All five of them who are still here and one who we will see again. And it pisses me off that the America that I inherited as my birthright (24 days after Reagan took his oath of office) is being passed off to my posterity in worse shape than when I received it. I feel a bit like Esau’s son having just discovered that the birthright he so richly deserved was no longer his to hold because his parents had sold it for pittance. That is why the fight we are in, this ideological struggle, is so intense at times. It is so because it is a true battle between two VERY different ideas of what America should look like for our children. So, those who scream for civility on one hand just use “civility and tolerance†as a club to oppose dissent. I believe in rational discourse. But when you are being robbed blind is NOT the time to engage in it. When debate is necessary, I will debate. When dissent is necessary, I will dissent. But when my children are threatened and those we love are hurting…we must fight. Because, my friend, our inalienable rights are worth fighting for. Because we aren’t guaranteed another breath. Because we aren’t guaranteed that the precious gifts God has given us to watch over will awake in the morning. Because there are things more important than US. That is why I fight. But that is also why, this weekend, I am going to hug my children more. Be more patient when they interrupt my writing a blog. Teach them about what this weekend really means beyond the picnics, parties, and parades. BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT REALLY MATTERS (I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments) -In loving memory of those who have come before and those who we will see again when our fight is over- Updated Shares, Thank You!: http://nathanjmartin.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/what-really-matters-the-aftermath-of-brettkimberlin/
  18. Seems to me from that moment on, he will never be able to create that type of excitement. Marriage maybe a big let down with the sameness of it ..
  19. Worth watching for a good laugh... !
  20. [media=] [/media]
  21. JG55

    Tarak Fatah

    http://web.gbtv.com/...py_21660975&v=3
  22. GBTV ‘Moses Shaped America’: Despite the Naysayers…America Really Is a Judeo-Christian Nation On his Thursday evening program, Glenn Beck welcomed Tim Ballard, historian and author of a new book detailing how the Founding Fathers were spiritually moved to created the United States based on Biblical prophecy — particularly as it relates to the ancient Hebrews. “The Covenant: America’s Sacred and Immutable Connection to Ancient Israel†is a book that will likely prove a fascinating read for both history-buffs and faith-keepers alike. (Related: What Does Author Tim Ballard Say Americans Must Do to Save This Nation?) Beck and Ballard discussed the importance faith had on the Founders and delved into the spirituality that guided them in their quest to establish a more perfect union: Whether one believes in the more mystical elements of Ballard’s work, it raises awareness of a subject all-too prevalent in American life today. America as a Judeo-Christian nation A familiar narrative among those who refuse to accept that religion played a role in the nation’s founding, or who seek to scrub all reference to “God†from view, is that the United States was founded not by Christians, but by “deists“; not upon the Judeo-Christian ethic or tenets of the Bible itself, but rather on some idea of “pluralism†divined from thin air. These naysayers typically assert that religious influence is “nowhere to be found†in the nation’s founding documents, nor in the framework of America’s government and legal system. Not even a depiction of Moses carrying two tablets of the Ten Commandements displayed in the highest court in the land is enough to prove to secularists that Judeo-Christianity has always been an integral part of the United States. If you notice, Moses is not relegated to some inconspicuous corner of the frieze, but takes center stage on the East facade of the Supreme Court building In fact, some argue that it is because the Founders were faith-keepers navigated by their religious beliefs and scriptures, that they desired to create a land where men would be considered equal, and, equally free. It is a well established fact that the 55 delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention were of the Christian faith, in some denomination or other. Often, secularists hinge their argument solely on the two who broke the mould: Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, both of whom had moments in which they embraced more unorthodox views of organized religion. The left chooses to label this occasional unconventionality “deism†in order to negate the importance Christianity, and moreover, the moral philosophies of Jesus Christ played in their lives, respectively. Since Jefferson and Franklin serve as the the lynchpins of atheists’ argument, those are the two we will focus on. Also, since there are a series of unconfirmed quotes often attributed to both Franklin and Jefferson when debating the subject, this article will only focus on those hard-and-fast statements which are historically documented. The influence of ancient Israel on the nation’s Founders The Protestant Reformation viewed the historic plight of the Jewish people as their own, and viewed their escape from the oppressive King James in much the same way as the ancient Hebrews fled Pharaoh. Faith author Bruce Feiler, in a piece titled, “How Moses Shaped America,†wrote that while on the Atlantic, the Pilgrims claimed their journey was as important as “Moses and the Israelites when they went out of Egypt.†When they arrived in Cape Cod, they “thanked God for letting them pass through their fiery Red Sea,†he wrote. After shuffling off the coils of bondage, the Israelites experienced a spell of lawlessness that would only come to a conclusion with the receiving of the Ten Commandments. Likewise, George Washington oversaw the drafting of the Constitution and recognized the parallel. Feiler notes that two-thirds of the eulogies recited for Washington after his death compared the “leader and father of the American nation†to the “first conductor of the Jewish nation.†In fact, Thanksgiving, which was first observed in 1621, was intended as a “day of atonement.†In other words, the Pilgrims sought their Thanksgiving to mirror the Jewish High Holy Day, Yom Kippur. In “The Bible and Civilization,†Gabriel Sivan wrote: “No Christian community in history identified more with the People of the Book than did the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed their own lives to be a literal reenactment of the Biblical drama of the Hebrew nation … these émigré Puritans dramatized their own situation as the righteous remnant of the Church corrupted by the ‘Babylonian woe,’ and saw themselves as instruments of Divine Providence, a people chosen to build their new commonwealth on the Covenant entered into at Mount Sinai.†Jefferson’s faith also engendered an affinity for the Jewish people, whom he saw as kindred spirits with the earliest American settlers. Those who have studied American history might know that one of the earliest designs for the official Seal of the United States, submitted by Jefferson, Franklin, and John Adams, depicted the Moses leading the Israelites across the Red Sea while Pharaoh was engulfed in the water. While a different seal was chosen, the Liberty Bell bears an inscription from Leviticus 25:10 (Old Testament): â€And Proclaim Freedom Throughout The Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof.†And as The Blaze noted, a recent episode of The Glenn Beck Program featured historian David Barton as he explained the true origins of the “Jefferson Bible†— proving again, the Founding Father’s reverence for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is also widely documented that the Hebrew language was in fact a prerequisite for American scholars of the day and was a compulsory subject at Ivy League’s Harvard and Yale. In fact, Yale’s insignia still bears the Hebrew phrase, Urim V’Thummim (oracle learning). This happened as a result of the profound friendship shared between then-Yale president Reverend Ezra Stiles’ and Rabbi Haim Isaac Carigal. According to records, both he and Rabbi Carigal discussed Israel and the Jewish mysticism of the Kabbalah. So taken by their shared affinity for language was Stiles, that he improved his Hebrew to a degree where he was able to translate portions of the Old Testament into English and became the first professor of Semiticsat the college (now university). Thomas Jefferson Jefferson, who openly identified himself as a Christian, was a lifelong and avid theologian who governed his local Episcopal church. He believed that God “gave us liberty“ and that that liberty could not be secure â€if we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God.†In a letter to fellow Declaration of Independence signer and scientist Dr. Benjamin Rush, Jefferson wrote of his views on Christianity and on Jesus Christ. In his own words, the Founding Father expressed frustration over how his views on Christianity had been distorted by those, even back then, who knew “nothing†of his true opinions. The narrative underscores Jefferson’s adherence to Christianity, thus negating atheists claim that he was a “deist.†Consider the following passage from this revealing letter, written in 1803: Dear SirIn some of the delightful conversations with you in the evenings of 1798-99, and which served as an anodyne to the afflictions of the crisis through which our country was then laboring, the Christian religion was sometimes our topic; and I then promised you that one day or other I would give you my views of it. They are the result of a life of inquiry and reflection, and very different from that anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions. To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others, ascribing to himself every human excellence, and believing he never claimed any other. In other words, Jefferson questioned, as wise men often do, and condemned the exploitation of the church by corrupt men. However, he was certain to differentiate between the organization and the doctrine; the church and the gospel, and never abandoned his faith nor his subscription to the moral philosophies not of Plato or Aristotle, but of Jesus Christ.He went on to tell Rush that he was confident the information he gleaned and was about to confide in him would “not be exposed to the malignant perversions of those who make every word from me a text for new misrepresentations and calumnies.â€By the time this letter was written, Jefferson was already in his late-sixties, which nullifies any argument that his Christianity was manifest only in his younger, more “naive†days. It also serves as proof that, even after questioning, Jefferson’s faith remained steadfast.For his part, Rush also made no bones about the role the Old Testament playedin America’s model of liberty:â€The Old Testament is the best refutation that can be given to the divine right of kings, and the strongest argument that can be used in favor of the original and natural equality of all mankind.â€In fact, Rush had even handwritten a personal Bible study-booklet titled, “References to Texts of Scriptures Related to Each Other Upon Particular Subjects.†WallBuilders website provides excerpts of the booklet, one of the images is featured below: Benjamin Franklin Like Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin was born an Episcopalian. While he, too, was more unconventional in his practice, Franklin deeply identified with and was committed to his Puritan roots and virtues. He was also an avid proponent of religion in general, believing it brought out the best in people and guided them to do right by their fellow man. In the original manuscript of his speech for the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Franklin wrote: “God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel†Franklin’s declaration flies in the face of true deism, which dictates that who or whatever the “divine†power is, it does not intervene in the natural world. But his true beliefs on faith were perhaps best summarized in a letter he wrote to Stiles at the age of 85 — just one month prior to his death. It was his final and perhaps most poignant account detailing his “creed.†Here is my Creed: I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we can render to him, is doing Good to his other Children. That the Soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its Conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental Principles of all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do, in whatever Sect I meet with them. He goes on to express in greater detail, his view on Jesus Christ†As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his Divinity: tho’ it is a Question I do not dogmatise upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble. Franklin went on to explain that he saw “no harm†in believing in the divinity of Jesus, as he surely had no proof to dictate otherwise, and maintained that such a belief would likely only serve as a positive within the community. He added that through the fortune of having been blessed with a long life, he believed in the world to come. Admitting, like many faith-keepers likely have, to entertaining “some doubt“ is hardly the â€ah-ha, gotcha†moment secularists paint it to be. Regardless of the label placed on Franklin by either himself or those who have attempted to interpret his words and deeds, he was a man of faith and one guided by Judeo-Christianity. The Seven Noahide Laws The Seven Noahide Laws of Morality, or the Seven Laws of Noah, is a code of moral tenets set forth in the Talmud — or the “oral†Torah which explains how to interpret scriptures and apply the Laws. The Seven Laws are believed to have been given by God for the “children of Noah†(all of mankind). Judaism, states that even non-Jews who live according to the Seven Noahide Laws are regarded as a Righteous Gentile, and promised a place on “Olam Haba†— the world to come. The Seven Laws of Noah were adopted by the earliest Pilgrims and were applied to their fledgling legal and societal frameworks. Even though it was not until 1991, the influence of these Biblical laws were even recognized by the United States Congress in the preamble to a bill that established Education Day in honor of Chabad Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson: Whereas Congress recognizes the historical tradition of ethical values and principles which are the basis of civilized society and upon which our great Nation was founded; Whereas these ethical values and principles have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization, when they were known as the Seven Noahide Laws. But the Noahide Laws aren’t the only instances of Biblically applied tenets in the U.S. legal system.While there are many, certain guiding principles stand out: From Blue Laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol on Sunday (or the Sabbath Day) to forgiving debts after seven years, Judeo-Christian influence has had a long and enduring reach in American society. For secularists, it is mainly through the absence of the word “God,†perhaps more than anything else, that serves as “divine proof†to secularists that religion held no sway in our nation’s founding. Yet, all of the United States’ individual State Constitutions do mention “God†or a “Creator†and some states even established official churches (like Massachusetts) and mandatory adoption of religion. The Federal Constitution was written from the standpoint of Congress, whereas State Constitutions were written from the standpoint of the individual. One cannot dismiss the fact that individual state rights and power were of utmost importance to the Founders as their intention was for the Federal Government to have little interference in the self-governance of individual states. This is highlighted in the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If secularists never bother to mention the clear references to “God†in State Constitutions, then what is to lead us to believe it would matter to them even if the word were specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution? Secularists claim that the absence of the word “God†is proof positive of “separation of church and state,†yet by that same token, there is no such reference to “separation of church and state†in the U.S. Constitution either. The California State Constitution bears reference to "Almighty God" Freedom of religion…not from it The United States is not a theocracy. There is no official state religion. But that does not negate the fact that religion, as manifest in both the Hebrew and Christian Bible, factored greatly into the moral, ethical, legal and governmental framework of the United States as prescribed by the Founding Fathers.Some argue that it is because of America’s Judeo-Christian ethic, that naysayers even have the “freedom of religion†or ironically, freedom from religion, they claim to stand for.

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