Flo Rida - iSnare Free Encyclopedia Flo Rida Not to be confused with Florida . Flo Rida Flo Rida in Sydney on April 12, 2012 Background information .com Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), [1] [2] [3] better known by his stage name Flo Rida (pronounced /ˌfloʊ ˈraɪdə/ ), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper from Carol City, Florida . [4] His 2008 breakout single " Low " was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital download sales at the time of its release. Flo Rida's debut studio album , 2008's Mail on Sunday , reached number four in the US. The album was succeeded by R.O.O.T.S. , the next year. His subsequent albums, 2010's Only One Flo (Part 1) and 2012's Wild Ones , also charted on the US Billboard 200 chart. Flo Rida has sold over 80 million digital downloads, making him one of the best-selling music artists .

[5] [6] His catalog includes the international singles " Right Round ", " Club Can't Handle Me ", " Good Feeling ", " Wild Ones ", " Whistle ", " I Cry ", " G.D.F.R. ", and " My House ". Contents Life and career 1979–2006: Early life and career beginnings Flo Rida was born as Tramar Lacel Dillard in Carol City, Florida , on September 16, 1979. [4] His parents raised him and his seven sisters together, some of whom sang in a local gospel group. [7] His brother-in-law was a hype man for local rap group 2 Live Crew , and while in ninth grade, Flo Rida joined an amateur rap group called the GroundHoggz. [8] The GroundHoggz had been a three-man group, with members who lived in the same apartment complex as Flo Rida. They started recording at underground studios in Carver Ranches . [9] The GroundHoggz, in this four-man incarnation, remained together for eight years.

Flo Rida's work with 2 Live Crew member Fresh Kid Ice , attracted the attention of DeVante Swing , a member of the band Jodeci . However, he was rejected by several of the major labels , so he sought many other jobs outside of music. [10] After graduating from high school in 1998, he studied international business management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for two months and attended Barry University for two months. [10] [11] He returned to Florida to continue pursuing his music career after receiving a phone call from a representative of the independent label Poe Boy Entertainment . [10] Flo Rida signed with Hot Boyz , in 2000 and with Poe Boy, in 2004 and began affiliating himself for Cash Money with other Southern hip hop artists, such as Rick Ross , Trina , T-Pain , and Trick Daddy . A promotional single entitled "Birthday", featuring Rick Ross, was his first significant release.

He made his debut guest appearance with the song "Bitch I'm From Dade County" on DJ Khaled 's album We the Best (2007), which also features Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Brisco , C-Ride, and Dre . [12] 2007–2008: Mail on Sunday Rehearsing for the 2008 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto Flo Rida's debut album, Mail on Sunday , was released in March 2008. The first single was " Low ", featuring T-Pain , which was also included in the soundtrack to the movie Step Up 2: The Streets . "Low" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [12] " Elevator ", featuring Timbaland , " In the Ayer " featuring will.i.am , and "Roll" featuring Sean Kingston followed, and both charted on the Hot 100 and other charts. [13] Other than T-Pain , there were many featured guests throughout Mail on Sunday. Timbaland , who produced the second single " Elevator ", is also featured on the track.

Rick Ross , and Trey Songz made appearances as well. [14] Lil Wayne [14] appeared on the track "American Superstar", while Sean Kingston appeared on the J. R. Rotem -produced "Roll", which was co-written by Compton rapper Spitfiya. Various other guests include Birdman , Brisco, and Yung Joc . "Money Right", featuring Brisco and Rick Ross , was scheduled to be the fourth single, but this was canceled due to the upcoming release of Flo Rida's second studio album, R.O.O.T.S. His second collaboration with T-Pain , "I Bet", as well as his collaboration with Trina , named "Bout It", both did not make the final track list, but were recorded. After the success of Mail on Sunday, Flo Rida made guest performances on other R&B, rap, and pop singles, including " Move Shake Drop " by DJ Laz , " We Break the Dawn " by Michelle Williams , the remix of "4 Minutes" by Madonna , " Running Back " by Australian R&B singer Jessica Mauboy , "Feel It" by DJ Felli Fel , and the remix of " Speedin' " by Rick Ross .

During the summer of 2008, he did live performances on the Fox dance competition program So You Think You Can Dance in the US [15] and 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Canada. [16] He appeared on the albums We Global by DJ Khaled , Gutta by Ace Hood , and The Fame by Lady Gaga , among others. 2009–2010: R.O.O.T.S. Flo Rida on the set of the music video for " Sugar " Flo Rida began recording his second album, R.O.O.T.S. , 9 months after Mail On Sunday. The album was released on March 31, 2009. [17] The first single, " Right Round " featuring Ke$ha, was released for airplay in January 2009. "Right Round" jumped from number 58 to the top spot in one week in late February. The song broke a record for the most digital one week sales in the US, with 636,000, beating the previous record he had set himself with " Low ".

[18] "Right Round" sampled " You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) ", a 1985 hit by Dead or Alive . [19] The second official single was " Sugar ", which featured R&B singer Wynter Gordon . The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. " Jump ", featuring singer Nelly Furtado , was the third official single and was released on July 27, 2009 in the UK, and July 28, 2009 worldwide. [20] " Be on You ", featuring features singer Ne-Yo , was the album's fourth official single, released on October 6, 2009. Both songs charted in the top 100 in various countries. " Available ", featuring Akon , was going to be released on iTunes but was cancelled. It charted at number 120 in Ireland. A music video was also shot in mid-2009. [21] R.O.O.T.S. debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 55,000 copies in its first week.

[22] As of August, 2009, the album has sold 223,000 copies in the United States, and 536,000 worldwide. By the end of 2009, the album sold 247,000 copies in the US, becoming the eighth best selling rap album of 2009. [23] Flo Rida made guest performances on " Feel It " by DJ Felli Fel , " Starstruck " by Lady Gaga , and " Feel It " by Three 6 Mafia . " Bad Boys ", the first single by winner of British reality show The X Factor Alexandra Burke that featured Flo Rida, debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October. [24] 2010–2011: Only One Flo (Part 1) Flo Rida's third album Only One Flo (Part 1) was released on November 24, 2010. In March 2010, Flo Rida announced on Twitter that the album would be titled The Only One. [25] Billboard reported that The Only One was to be a double album.

[26] A promo single , titled "Zoosk Girl", which features T-Pain , was released on the internet, though the song is not featured on the album, the single does have its own music video. On June 28, 2010, Flo Rida released the song " Club Can't Handle Me " featuring David Guetta , which was stated to be the official first single for the album. The song was also featured in the Step Up 3D soundtrack. [27] On November 2, 2010, "Come with Me" was released as the first promo single for the album, along with "Puzzle", produced, and featuring by Electrixx, which is not featured on the album. On November 16, 2010, " Turn Around (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) " was released as the second official promo single for the album via the iTunes Store . [28] It debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number thirty-four on November 29, 2010.

[29] After the release of the album in the UK, " Who Dat Girl " started to receive a strong amount of downloads, thus causing it to debut at number 136 [30] on the UK Singles Chart and chart at a current peak of number thirty-one on the UK R&B Chart . [31] " Why You Up In Here " was released as the fourth single, and third promo single , on May 11, 2011. The song features Ludacris , Gucci Mane , and Git Fresh . Flo Rida also made guest appearances on " iYiYi ", a song by Australian teen singer Cody Simpson , and on the song "Out My Video" by Bulgarian singer LiLana . Flo Rida collaborated with UK girl group The Saturdays , recording a new version of their single, " Higher ". [32] In December 2010, Flo Rida created his own label, International Music Group, inspired by Nicki Minaj 's signing with Lil Wayne 's. He has signed an 18-year-old rapper, Brianna [33] and Git Fresh [34] to International.

2011–2013: Wild Ones Flo Rida performing live in 2012 Flo Rida's fourth album, Wild Ones (originally titled Only One Rida (Part 2)) was released in July 2012. Its debut single was " Good Feeling ", released on August 29, 2011. [35] The song samples " Levels " by Avicii , which in turn samples Etta James ' 1962 song, " Something's Got a Hold on Me ". Following the death of Etta James on January 20, 2012, Flo Rida dedicated the song in her memory. [36] The song peaked at No. 3 in the United States, [37] and topped the charts in Austria, [38] Germany, [39] Scotland, [40] and the UK. It reached the top five in nine other countries. The next two singles from the album were the title track, " Wild Ones ", released in December 2011, and " Whistle ", released April 2012.

"Wild Ones" reached #1 in various countries, and hit #5 in the US, while "Whistle" reached #1 in 20 countries, including the United States. On April 1, 2012, Flo Rida appeared at WWE 's WrestleMania XXVIII in a segment with Heath Slater , Curt Hawkins , and Tyler Reks , in which Slater called Flo Rida "Florida" and the rapper shoved him into a wall. Later that night, he performed "Wild Ones" and "Good Feeling" before Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson came out for his match against John Cena .[ citation needed ] An exclusive Australian EP entitled Good Feeling was released in Australia on April 6, which contains six of his biggest hits and two remixes. [41] It debuted at No. 21 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart [42] On May 22, 2012, Flo Rida performed and closed the show at the first Q102 Springle Ball Concert, and the following day he performed "Goin' In" with Jennifer Lopez on the America Idol finale.

On September 13, Flo Rida performed his new single " I Cry " on America's Got Talent . [43] In an interview with New York Music News, Flo Rida said he is currently recording his next album and that he has finished shooting the music video for " Let It Roll ". [44] On December 9, he performed "Let it Roll" and "Wild Ones" at the 2012 edition of WWE's Tribute to the Troops . In November 2012, he collaborated with Olly Murs for his song " Troublemaker ". In June 2013, Flo Rida collaborated with Marc Mysterio on the song "Booty on the Floor" to benefit the families and victims of the Boston Marathon bombing via One Fund Boston. [45] 2014–present: My House and The Perfect 10 On September 29, 2014 (October 21 in the U.S) Flo Rida released the lead single from his EP My House (2015) titled " G.D.F.R. " featuring Sage the Gemini . The song became his tenth top 10 hit in the United States.

The title track My House was later released as a single and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2016, his biggest hit since 2012's " Whistle ". On February 26, 2016, Flo Rida released " Hello Friday " featuring Jason Derulo , which serves as the lead single from his upcoming fifth studio album The Perfect 10. It has peaked at number 79 so far. On March 24, 2016, Flo Rida released the promotional single "Who's With Me". On May 20, 2016, Flo Rida released another promotional single "Who Did You Love" featuring Arianna . Discography Real Impact August 27, 2010 Obama, Congress Cut Funding for 176 Abstinence Programs Despite New Study (LifeSiteNews) More than 176 abstinence education programs will lose funding for their outreaches to youth and young adults on September 30 because Congress and the Obama Administration canceled all grants going to abstinence-centered programming in their FY2010 budget.

The funding cuts will come even though the Obama administration was forced to reveal the results of a new study on Monday showing the effectiveness of abstinence education programs and the support parents have for them. “We are greatly concerned that the sex education policy being implemented by this administration does not reflect the values of what most parents and teens clearly want," Valerie Huber, Executive Director of the National Abstinence Education Association told LifeNews.com today. Huber explained that some programs will lose their funding midstream in their five-year grant award. "This means that nearly two million students will return to school without the skill-building lessons they have come to expect in their abstinence education classes," she said. "Teen-sex advocacy groups have pushed for an end to abstinence education funding, despite the fact that a recent HHS study showed most teens and their parents support the core message of the program," Huber continued. The study, The National Survey of Adolescents and Their Parents, was posted Monday to the HHS website after significant grassroots pressure. It calls into question whether recent sex education policy decisions truly reflect cultural norms or clear evidence-based trends.

According to the findings, about 70% of parents agreed that it is “against [their] values for [their] adolescents to have sexual intercourse before marriage” and that “having sexual intercourse is something only married people should do.” Adolescents gave similar responses. Larry McAdoo, executive director of STARS, an abstinence program in Mississippi that will lose funding, also complained about the impending cuts. “Our state has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. I do not understand why our services to needy teens would be cut short. Mississippi’s teens need more resources, not less," he said. "Our abstinence program equips youth with the skills necessary to make healthy choices. Soon, however, Mississippi’s youth will be left without any resources to counter the sexual messages with which they are continually bombarded," McAdoo added. Looking further at the study, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of HHS, funded a survey of 1,000 adolescents 12-18 years-old in order to measure parent-adolescent communication and adolescent attitudes toward sex and abstinence.

The study found parents strongly support the concept that sexual relations are best saved for a marital relationship and parents` attitudes are more important in influencing adolescent views than the level of parent communication with their adolescent. The American Public Health Association (APHA) highlighted the results on its web site: “Adjusting for all other factors in the model, parent and peer factors are more consistently associated with differences in adolescent attitudes about sex and abstinence than are measures of adolescent exposure to sex and abstinence topics in a class or program." However, during an APHA conference, researcher Lisa Rue, Ph.D., who specializes in adolescent behavior, was intrigued by the study and requested the full report. She was denied access and the Obama administration denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for it. The National Abstinence Education Association responded by encouraging interested persons to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the public release of a study. "Hundreds submitted the request for openness regarding the study. As a result, HHS posted the entire study report on Monday," Huber of NAEA said. Huber concluded in her comments: "It is important that the representative government reflects the desires of its constituents.

This study`s findings call for a reinstatement of funding for abstinence education within the next fiscal budget." Related web sites: August 27, 2010 What`s wrong with letting same-sex couples legally? (Family Research Council) There are two key reasons why the legal rights, benefits, and responsibilities of civil marriage should not be extended to same-sex couples. The first is that homosexual relationships are not marriage. That is, they simply do not fit the minimum necessary condition for a marriage to exist--namely, the union of a man and a woman. The second is that homosexual relationships are harmful. Not only do they not provide the same benefits to society as heterosexual marriages, but their consequences are far more negative than positive. Either argument, standing alone, is sufficient to reject the claim that same-sex unions should be granted the legal status of marriage. Let`s look at the first argument. Isn`t marriage whatever the law says it is? No. Marriage is not a creation of the law. Marriage is a fundamental human institution that predates the law and the Constitution. At its heart, it is an anthropological and sociological reality, not a legal one. Laws relating to marriage merely recognize and regulate an institution that already exists.

But isn`t marriage just a way of recognizing people who love each other and want to spend their lives together? If love and companionship were sufficient to define marriage, then there would be no reason to deny "marriage" to unions of a child and an adult, or an adult child and his or her aging parent, or to roommates who have no sexual relationship, or to groups rather than couples. Love and companionship are usually considered integral to marriage in our culture, but they are not sufficient to define it as an institution. August 27, 2010 Black Christians Debate Abortion as Civil Rights Issue (Christian Post) The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is pushing back against fellow African-American Christians who have accused her of hijacking the civil rights movement for her own political agenda – namely to protect the unborn. "It is absolutely ludicrous that abortion supporters would accuse a blood relative of Dr. King of hijacking the King legacy," Dr. Alveda King said in a statement Thursday. "My dad and my uncle gave their lives to ensure that the day would come when blacks would be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.

If they were here, I know they would stand with me in this fight for the lives of those most vulnerable among us." Her comments were in response to statements made by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice at a press conference Thursday. The coalition denounced the "religious right" for "disparaging clinics that provide abortion, birth control and reproductive health services." "It insults the intelligence and values of African Americans and is offensive to women who make conscientious moral decisions about pregnancy," said the Rev. Dr. Carlton W. Veazey, president and CEO of the coalition. The coalition also blasted the upcoming Restoring Honor Rally, led by Fox News` Glenn Beck, and Alveda King`s "Freedom Rides for the Unborn" event as insulting and contrary to the famed civil rights leader`s ideals of justice, freedom and respect for the dignity of all people. The rally is being held Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial to mark the 47th anniversary of the historic "I Have a Dream" speech.

"The `Religious Right` and the Tea Party can hold a rally on the anniversary of a time that is sacred in our nation’s march to equality but there is no question that they are not – and never have been – concerned about the African-American community or about the racism, poverty and injustice that Dr. King was dedicated to eradicating," said Veazey. According to the Guttmacher Institute, black women are more likely to have an abortion, at rates three to five times the rate of white women. The high abortion rate, however, has been linked to poverty and women of color tend to come from lower-income households. While pro-life groups argue that the abortion industry is targeting African-American communities, Veazey said the higher abortion rates among black women are directly related to their higher rates of unintended pregnancy and to broader health disparities. "Persistent reproductive health and health care disparities perpetuate a cycle of poverty and are serious problems for the African-American community. Providing comprehensive sexuality education for youth and expanding family planning and reproductive health care services are proven ways to improve health and life prospects," he said.

"Closing clinics and scaring women and men can only hurt the African-American community." Meanwhile, Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, believes abortion – especially in the black community – is the greatest civil rights battle of his time. She questioned the religious convictions of clergy fighting for reproductive rights. "It`s interesting to me to hear so called religious people call us the religious right – but that`s okay because they are obviously the complete opposite... they are the religious wrong!" Gardner commented. "Which begs the question: what God, if any, do they serve?" "As for me, I serve the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac – the great I AM – Father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all things created. Those of us who serve the one true God acknowledge we are all made in his image. We bow to God`s Word when He says: `Blessed is the fruit of the womb.` If God says children are a reward, a gift and our heritage, then we must uphold that all children are greatly valuable and desirable to God. So, I ask again, what God do they serve?" On Saturday, Alveda King will urge Americans to stand with her at the Lincoln Memorial to boycott the abortion industry.

August 27, 2010 LeTourneau University Receives $5M Endowment for Homeschoolers (Christian Post) LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, has received a five million-dollar gift to establish an endowed scholarship fund for home-schooled students. The gift, which came from an anonymous donor, was announced Wednesday by LETU President Dr. Dale A. Lunsford at the university convocation and is believed to be the single largest endowment for home-school scholarships ever established. “The generous donor sees the critical need to endow scholarships for future generations and believes deeply in the value of the kind of quality Christian education that LeTourneau University offers,” Lunsford said. According to the Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, the number of home-schooled students has increased from 1999 to 2007 by 74 percent to more than 1.5 million. The number of home-schooled students at LETU, meanwhile, has risen in the past 13 years from two percent of the incoming student population in 1997 to 18 percent in the current incoming class for 2010.

Over the past year, LETU’s mission has been to increase endowments for scholarships across the board. The five million-dollar gift, added to the nearly $1.5 million for other new scholarships endowed this year, brings the school to nearly $6.5 million in new endowed scholarships this year alone. “Our goal as a university is to equip our students to impact every workplace in every nation for Christ,” said Vice President for Development Ben Y. March. “It is a priority at LETU to build our endowment funds to help support our students and their parents so these talented students can fulfill that goal.” Recently recognized in U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” as one of the top 10 universities among private schools in Texas and above all state universities in Texas in the same category, LeTourneau University is an interdenominational Christian university that offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate programs in a variety of liberal arts with flagship programs in aeronautical science and engineering. LeTourneau University also offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs for working adults online and at educational centers in Austin, Bedford, Dallas, Houston and Tyler. LeTourneau University is named for its founder, businessman and devout Christian R.G.

LeTourneau, who invented earthmoving equipment. August 27, 2010 Facebook app should be used with caution (OneNewsNow) Internet`s largest social networking website has introduced a new geo-location service though which its 500-million users can share their whereabouts in real-time from a mobile device. Facebook has rolled out a new locator application to its U.S. users that has an Internet watchdog group concerned. The site maintains, however, that users are in control of what they post and the people with whom they share. They can choose whether to share their location and can only inform friends if their settings allow it. Donna Rice Hughes, president of Enough Is Enough , warns that even though the application uses special privacy provisions for minors under 18, parents need to be aware that teens often befriend people on Facebook that they do not know. "What kids and parents need to be aware of is that if they do choose to use `Places` [the name of the application]...anyone in their friends list will be able to find out if they`re in a location," she points out.

"The issue is that a lot of teens who use Facebook, they have lots and lots of people on their friends list that they don`t personally know." The Internet watchdog contends that the application leaves the door open for individuals who may or may not have a child`s best interest in mind. "The real issue is parents and teens alike really need to go through their friends list and make sure that they feel safe with all those people in that list knowing where they would be at any given time or place if they use this feature," Hughes urges. Security experts agree that Facebook users should use the site with care. They say it is important to realize what criminals can glean from the social networking site where people are located, so postings on Facebook can leave one`s home and personal belongings vulnerable to theft. Internet security tips can be found at Internetsafety101.org . August 27, 2010 North Korea Executes 3 House Church Leaders (Christian Post) North Korea executed three leaders of the underground church and jailed 20 other Christians, reported a news agency focused on Asia. Although the execution and imprisonment happened in mid-May, news only got out this month.

According to AsiaNews, North Korean police raided a house in Kuwal-dong in Pyungsung county, Pyongan province, and arrested all 23 believers who were gathered there for religious activity. The leaders were sentenced to death and soon after executed. The other 20 were reportedly sent to the infamous prison labor camp No. 15 in Yodok. The 23 Christians had come to faith after some of them traveled to China on business and met with church members there. North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, a group of North Korean defectors based in Seoul that seeks to raise awareness about injustice in North Korea, confirmed the events. For eight straight years, Open Doors has ranked North Korea as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians. In 2009, The Associated Press reported that a 33-year-old Christian woman accused of distributing Bibles and “spying” for foreign countries was publicly executed in North Korea. There are an estimated 400,000 Christians in North Korea who live under the constant threat of imprisonment, torture or public execution if authorities discover their Christian faith. Being a Christian in North Korea is considered one of the worst crimes by the oppressive government.

All citizens are forced to adhere to a personality cult revolving around the worship of the current dictator and his deceased father. No other religious beliefs are allowed in the country. An estimated 40,000 to 60,000 Christians are currently in prison labor camps because of their faith. “Please pray for believers in North Korea who follow Jesus at great risk,” urged The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. “May they have opportunities to meet together and provide encouragement to one another.” August 26, 2010 Atheist doctors `more likely to hasten death` (The Guardian) Terminally-ill patients would be well advised to find out the religious beliefs of their doctor, according to research showing the effect of faith on a doctor`s willingness to make decisions that could hasten death. Doctors who are atheist or agnostic are twice as likely to take decisions that might shorten the life of somebody who is terminally ill as doctors who are deeply religious – and doctors with strong religious convictions are less likely even to discuss such decisions with the patient, according to Professor Clive Seale, from the centre for health sciences at Barts and the London school of medicine and dentistry.

"If I were a patient facing end of life care, I would want to know what my doctor`s views were on religious matters – whether they are non-religious or religious and whether the doctor felt that would influence them in the kinds of decisions they were looking at," said Seale. A patient who wanted their life prolonged at all costs in the event of a terminal illness, or did not want it prolonged, should make sure they had a doctor who was in sympathy with this. Doctors are influenced by their beliefs, just as other people are, said Seale. "It is easy for clinicians to present themselves as neutral appliers of science, but values do come into it," he said. That is accepted in abortion care, but the issue has not yet been widely discussed in the care of the dying. "I had a GP who was powerfully committed to not legalising euthanasia," said Seale. He has now changed his GP. Seale`s study, published online today in the Journal of Medical Ethics , was based on a survey of doctors in specialisms likely to care for people at the end of life, such as neurology, elderly and palliative care but also general practice.

More than 8,500 doctors were contacted and almost 4,000 responded. The doctors were asked about the care of their last patient who died, if relevant – including whether they had provided continuous deep sedation until death and whether they had discussed decisions judged likely to shorten life with the patient. They were also asked their religious beliefs, ethnicity, and their views on assisted dying/euthanasia. More than 3,000 described the death of a patient. Specialists in the care of the elderly were somewhat more likely to be Hindu or Muslim, while palliative care doctors were somewhat more likely than other doctors to be Christian, white, and agree that they were "religious." The chances of a doctor making an ethically controversial decision expected or partly intended to end life was largely unrelated to the doctor`s ethnicity, but was strongly related to his or her specialisation. Specialised doctors in hospitals were almost 10 times as likely to report this than palliative care specialists. But regardless of their speciality, doctors who described themselves as "extremely" or "very non-religious" were almost twice as likely to report having taken these kinds of decisions as those with a religious belief.

The most religious doctors were significantly less likely than other doctors to have discussed options at the end of life with their patient. August 26, 2010 Federally funded groups defend hiring fellow believers (AP) More than 100 leaders of religious groups are urging Congress to reject legislation that would prohibit them from hiring only fellow believers if they accept federal funds. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, says taxpayers shouldn`t fund religious charities that discriminate against nonbelievers in hiring. But officials from Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish groups argue that while they serve people of any religion, it`s the shared faith of their employees that motivates and defines their mission. In a letter to members of Congress, the religious groups note that their freedom to hire people of the same faith was protected under the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. August 26, 2010 Back to school without leaving the house (Houston Chronicle) The first day of school will be different for the Blane family this year. Parents Eric and Melissa won’t have to pack their children’s lunches or send them to the bus stop this morning.

The Blanes of Montgomery County have joined a growing number of Texans forgoing public and private schools, deciding to home school their 11-year-old son, Cory, and their 8-year-old daughter, Madison. “It’s a desire we have to be the ones who are teaching them and motivating them,” said Melissa Blane, who will be the children’s primary teacher. “We’ll be starting bright and early.” Melissa Blane plans to kick off her school year today to coincide with the return of roughly 4.5 million students to Texas public schools. Since 2007, state lawmakers have forbade school districts from holding classes before the fourth Monday in August. ‘A lifestyle’ Tina Robertson, a mom who runs New Beginnings, a support group for parents new to home schooling, lovingly chuckles when they follow the traditional start date. “Guess how much I care about August 23rd?” she asked the parents gathered for a meeting Friday night at a bookstore in The Woodlands. Robertson doesn’t care at all. She plans to take her own three children, whom she has taught since kindergarten, to the park today. She said she teaches them year-round. “Home schooling is a lifestyle,” Robertson said.

“The line between learning and living gets blurred — and it should.” Over the past five years, the number of Texans opting to home school has grown about 20 percent to an estimated 120,000 families and 300,000 children, according to the Texas Home School Coalition. “The economy does have an impact on folks,” said Tim Lambert, president of the coalition. “We saw families last year who had their kids in a private school, times were tough and they couldn’t afford to do that anymore, but they didn’t want to put them in a public school.” The most recent survey of parents by the National Center for Education Statistics found that families primarily opted to home school because they wanted to provide religious or moral lessons to their children. Other top reasons include parental concerns about safety, peer pressure and the academic instruction at traditional schools. Parents in Texas are not required to register with any agency or to get their curriculum approved. Legal rulings have upheld that parents simply are supposed to have a curriculum that teaches reading, spelling, grammar, math and good citizenship.

The Blanes said they wanted to start home schooling several years ago, but they were worried that Melissa wouldn’t have time to teach while also helping Eric with the family light-fixture business. Finally, Melissa Blane said, they decided to “pray and rely on the Lord.” Her home office will do double-duty as a classroom, with computers, a desk and a bulletin board on the door. The children can read in their bunk beds if they choose, but they will have to change out of their pajamas and do their hair every morning. Their son is excited, Melissa Blane said, while their daughter is concerned about missing her classmates. “She’ll still have time for friends,” the mother said, adding that their schedule will include field trips with other families who home school. A trial run The Rangel family of Houston also plans to try home schooling this year, with their 3-year-old daughter, Sophia. She’s too young for pre-kindergarten, but mom, Angela, wants to give her an early start and to test whether home schooling works well for the family. “Since I went to private school my whole life, I really had wanted her to go to private school,” Angela Rangel said.

“I have looked into it, and the one that I like, there’s a waiting list, and it’s very pricey. It kind of depends on where we are income-wise. My husband and I are leaning more toward home schooling.” Rangel spent the weekend converting an apartment attached to their home into a classroom. One corner houses the library; posters about colors and shapes line the walls; and supply boxes with crayons and glue sit on top of a small table with two red chairs. She doesn’t expect the school day to last more than an hour and a half, beginning with a Bible lesson and working up to learning to read. Rangel plans to begin class at 8:30 a.m. today. August 26, 2010 ï¿½Gay marriage slowly gainingï¿½ ï¿½ younger generation believes it is a lifestyle choice not genetic (Forbes) “There is one surprising area where young people differ from their elders about homosexuality. Since the pollsters started asking about it in the late 1977, the number saying homosexuality is something one is born with has been growing. But today, more young people than older ones believe it is a lifestyle choice.

In May 50% of 18-29 year olds told CBS News pollsters that being homosexual is something people choose to be; 47% said it was something a person couldn’t change. Among those 65 and over, however, 25% said it was a choice, 55% said it was something that couldn’t be changed.” August 26, 2010 99 Percent of Music Chart Hit Acts are ï¿½Soft Pornï¿½ Says Music Industry Giant (LifeSiteNews) While religious leaders have been warning about the moral effects of the modern pop music scene for decades, now even some leaders of the industry are expressing their concern. Today record producer Mike Stock told British media that he believes children are being “sexualized” by popular culture. “The music industry has gone too far. It`s not about me being old fashioned. It`s about keeping values that are important in the modern world. These days you can`t watch modern stars - like Britney Spears or Lady Gaga - with a two-year-old.” “Ninety-nine per cent of the charts is R `n` B and 99 per cent of that is soft pornography,” he added.

Stock is one of the trio of “legendary” music producers that constitute Stock Aitken Waterman, whose talent properties have included Cliff Richard, Debbie Harry, Donna Summer, La Toya Jackson and Kylie Minogue. The trio was one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships in the history of the music business, with more than 100 UK top 40 hits, and earning an estimated £60 million. Stock told the Daily Mail, “Kids are being forced to grow up too young. Look at the videos. I wouldn`t necessarily want my young kids to watch them. I would certainly be embarrassed to sit there with my mum.” In Britain the “Hit Parade,” the first British record sales chart at the dawn of the popular music era, was published in November 1952, and was measured by sales of sheet music. The first number 1 song on Britain’s Hit Parade was “Here in My Heart” by Al Martino, the Italian-American “pop crooner” and actor who is also known for his portrayal of the character Johnny Fontane in the 1972 film The Godfather.

This week, BBC Radio 1 reported that the number one UK spot was held by American rapper Tramar Dillard, better known by his stage name “Flo Rida,” for his rap piece “Club Can’t Handle Me.” The number, performed largely on two notes of the musical scale, includes a video in which a frenzied mob of night-clubbers burst out of the club and into the streets, destroying a corner shop to end up gyrating in a laundromat. Lady Gaga’s widely criticized single, “Alejandro,” has fallen on the charts this week to number 22. The video features Lady Gaga, shown in scanty underwear and a mock nun’s habit, simulating sado-maochistic sex and swallowing a rosary. It also shows a team of semi-nude male dancers performing mock homosexual acts, themes that are so common they are starting to be considered passé in British pop culture. “Before children even step into school, they have all these images - the pop videos and computer games like Grand Theft Auto - confronting them and the parents can`t control it,” Stock continued. He has responded to the concerns of parents by producing what he has called a “family-orientated show.” The Go! Go!

Go! Show is a pop song and dance show performed by “tween” singers that is playing to positive reviews in London. Brian Clowes, the research director for the pro-life and pro-family group Human Life International, expressed surprise that there is anyone left who “doesn’t believe that the music industry degrades morals, sexualizes young girls and is disrespectful to women.” Such people, he told LSN, “should just visit YouTube and randomly select a half-dozen music videos to watch.” “There are only a handful of artists who even attempt to promote good moral values, since this is considered ‘uncool’ and, even more importantly, unprofitable. Many of the singers target pre-teen girls with their messages, and then these girls follow the advice and lyrics they hear and wind up ruining their lives,” Clowes commented. “It`s true that we are not forced to watch this trash; but we are also responsible for making sure our kids grow up holy, healthy and happy.

If they follow music videos and shows, they will be zero for three.” August 26, 2010 Mexico City Governor Seeks Punitive Action against Cardinal for `Homophobia` (LifeSiteNews) Mexico City Chief of Government Marcelo Ebrard and other members of his party have filed complaints against several representatives of the Catholic Church in Mexico for "homophobia" and "moral damage" following criticisms of the city`s new homosexual "marriage" and adoption laws. The complaints stem from comments made earlier this week by Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, accusing Ebrard and international pro-abortion groups of "feeding" (i.e. bribing) nine Supreme Court justices who voted to approve homosexual "marriage" as constitutional, and to impose it on all of Mexico`s 31 states. Diocesan spokesman Fr.

Hugo Valdemar is also being charged along with Sandoval Iñiguez, apparently for his recent statements accusing Ebrard of creating "laws that are destructive to the family, that cause worse damage than narcotrafficking." In addition, a complaint has been filed against the Cardinal Archbishop of Mexico City, Norberto Rivera Carrera, for reasons unstated in the Mexican media. Ebrard and his political allies are making their complaints in a variety of agencies and courts, picking venues inside of socialist-dominated Mexico City itself as well as left-leaning federal organisms that will be more likely to rule in his favor. They include the Superior Court of Justice of Mexico City, the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District, the National Commission to Prevent Discrimination, and the Federal Electoral Institute. The cases could last five months or longer. However, Sandoval Íñiguez and Valdemar remain defiant.

The cardinal has continued his refusal to retract his statements, as demanded by Ebrard, while Valdemar has responded to the charges by denouncing the "new religious persecution" motivated by "intolerance, hatred, and viscerality" which could "unleash a war in the country." He defends his comparison to the drug trade by noting that, while the war with narcotraffickers has caused 28,000 deaths so far, the legalization of abortion has caused the deaths of 42,000 unborn children. "For that reason I said that his laws were pernicious, perverse, and do worse damage than organized crime. I don`t have anything more to demonstrate, that is what I affirm and maintain it using information from his (Ebrard`s) own government," Valdemar said. August 20, 2010 Lawyers may move to recover Prop. 8 court costs (Associated Press) The lawyers who successfully sued to overturn California`s gay marriage ban are indicating they plan to recover attorney`s fees if the verdict is upheld on appeal.

In papers filed Tuesday, attorneys for two same-sex couples and the city of San Francisco asked the court to extend a deadline for seeking reimbursement from the losing side. In this case, that would be the groups that put the ban on the 2008 ballot. Sponsors of Proposition 8 defended the ban in court after California`s governor and attorney general refused to. Lawyers familiar with scope of the case suggest the dollar amount would be in the millions. Plaintiffs lawyer Theodore Boutrous Jr. says it makes sense to wait until the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides on the Aug. 4 ruling that overturned the ban. August 18, 2010 $600,000 Life Prizes to be Awarded for Second Year (LifeSiteNews) Up to $600,000 will be awarded by the Gerard Health Foundation`s during its 2009-2010 Life Prizes awards ceremony on January 22, 2011. The awards will recognize and honor individuals or organizations that have worked to save human lives. "Our Foundation has a profoundly simple mission: to save lives," stated philanthropist Raymond B.

Ruddy, founder of the Gerard Health Foundation. "Life Prizes works to honor those who have best accomplished this noble goal and to inspire the next generation to break the mold in their life-saving work." The 2009-2010 "Norinne A. and Raymond E. Ruddy Memorial Life Prizes" awards will be held in Washington DC on January 22, 2011, in conjunction with Students for Life of America`s annual conference during the week of the March for Life in Washington, DC. Last year’s six winners included Jill Stanek, a nurse who exposed the infanticide of abortion survivors, and Lila Rose, who covertly filmed Planned Parenthood employees around the nation covering up statutory rape. The first awards ceremony in 2009 featured Laura Ingraham as master of ceremonies and popular Christian rock band BarlowGirl. The 2009-2010 winners are to be selected based on their success in saving human lives through efforts including public advocacy, scientific research, outreach programs, public disclosure activities, legal action, and other achievements as determined by a selection committee. "As last year`s winners will tell you, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary goals," said Raymond Ruddy.

"We look forward to celebrating six new heroes and thanking them for their ingenuity, dedication, sacrifices and leadership." August 19, 2010 August 20, 2010 Football coach reveres Muslim holiday (OneNewsNow) A ministry leader says a high school in Michigan is conforming to President Obama`s political correctness and Islamic sentiments by altering its schedule to accommodate its Muslim students. Fordson High School in Dearborn is holding its football practices in the middle of the night in order to give special accommodation to Muslims on the predominantly Islamic squad. The team feels the nocturnal regimen is a way for players to eat and drink while observing the month of daytime fasting known as Ramadan. The August heat has also played a factor in Coach Fouad Zaban`s proposal to reverse the clock for a week of two-a-day practices. Cutting practice was not an option at football-crazy Fordson, which is coming off a one-loss season, but nobody wanted to lessen the significance of Ramadan in the Detroit suburb that is dominated by Muslims. "Dearborn is Dearbornistan," notes Jan Markell, founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries.

"I am sure that some of these teachers have got to cave or they`re going to lose their jobs. We`re in strange times where good is called evil and evil is called good." She believes Muslims have clearly become a specially privileged group in the U.S. and beyond. "There are clearly favors that are done to certain special-interest groups, particularly homosexuals and Muslims," the Messianic Jewish leader observes. "Christians and Jews, we just don`t have that kind of privilege." She doubts a practice would be moved if a group of Christian players objected to training that would interfere with a Christian holiday. August 18, 2010 Schools claim Lucifer as model and guardian (OneNewsNow) While a California school district is seeing a boom in interest in a controversial educational philosophy that goes back more than 100 years, at the same time it`s fighting a lawsuit over whether the system is legal in public schools. California`s capital city offers two Waldorf-inspired public schools -- John Morse Waldorf Methods School (K-8), and the high school George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences.

The Sacramento City Unified School District now is facing a trial in federal court on allegations that those schools are religious, making them ineligible to receive taxpayer dollars. The lawsuit, filed in 1998 by the group People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools, is just now making it to trial after several appeals. In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, the president of PLANS uses phrases like "cult-like religious sect" and "new-age religion" to describe the activities at the schools. Dr. Bruce Shortt, author of The Harsh Truth about Public Schools, explains to OneNewsNow that the Waldorf system is based on a dangerous philosophy called "anthroposophy" from the writings of 19th-century Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. "And in those writings he basically posits that the universe is driven by conflict between Lucifer and the god of darkness called `Ahriman` -- and his educational philosophy is built around that conflict," says Shortt. "...In fact, in his view Christ came to earth as a `son god` to balance the forces of light and darkness." The author says these views are reflected in The Waldorf Teachers Survival Guide.

"As a matter of fact, quoting from the guide, it says `most of what contributes to our work as teachers -- preparation work, artistic work, even meditative work -- is under the guardianship of Lucifer. We can become great teachers under his supervision....` And it continues in that vein." Although the Waldorf system is primarily offered through private education, the demand for Waldorf public schools has grown to more than 40 across the country, including two dozen in California. August 18, 2010 Technorati (Christian Post) Somalia’s underground Christian community is asking fellow believers worldwide to pray for their safety during Islam ’s holy month of Ramadan. The tiny Christian population is regularly persecuted by Islamic extremists. They are requesting that fellow Christians pray they can live in peace with their Muslim neighbors. Ramadan began Aug. 11 and ends on Sept. 9. “We are called criminal and apostate. What is our crime? We are Christians! We suffer because of what we believe,” said a Somali Christian, whose name is withheld for security reasons, to Open Doors USA.

“Please pray for all Somali Christians who suffer persecution to not seek revenge but commit their case unto God.” Religious zeal and extremist activity generally increase in Somalia during Ramadan, noted Open Doors, a Christian persecution watchdog. Many Christians in Somalia must pretend to be practicing Muslims in order to remain safe. A Somali Christian shared that after the suicide bombing last month in Uganda, the believer had to attend a Friday prayer meeting at the local mosque. “I was there because I need to blend in with the crowd. That saves my life, my family and my colleagues,” the Somali Christian said. When the prayer leader praised those behind the suicide bombing, people at the mosque shouted “Allahu Akubar,” which means “God is great.” The Christian joined with them even though the believer did not agree with the action of the suicide bombers. “But this is the normal way things are for the Christian community in Somalia,” the Christian noted. Somalia is ranked No. 4 on the Open Doors World Watch List of the worst persecutors of Christians. In June, Compass Direct News reported that a 17-year-old girl who converted to Christianity was severely beaten for leaving Islam and was chained to a tree by her family.

An Islamic extremist group, called al Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda, is reported to be responsible for the murders of several Christians in Somalia. Al Shabaab militants killed Mohammed Ahmed Ali, a convert to Christianity who led an underground church, in January. And in 2009, its members were behind the beheading of four Christians who worked for a local non-governmental organization that helps orphans in Southern Somalia. The Christians were converts from Islam and were beheaded for apostasy. News of their deaths was relayed to their families by an al Shabaab militant. Somalia, which is located on the Horn of Africa, is one of the most lawless countries in the world. Chaos and tribal conflicts have plagued the country for the past two decades. The country also suffers from a humanitarian crisis in which 35 to 40 percent of the population depends on external assistance, according to the United Nations. Also, about 1.2 million Somalis are displaced because of fighting and droughts. The U.N.

Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said recently that assistance for Somalia this year is predicted to be between $300 to $400 million worth, down from $650 million last year. “[W]e have critical gaps in assistance in some of the key areas where people need help,” said U.N. official Mark Bowden to China’s Xinhua news agency. Despite the critical need, al Shabaad in August expelled three Christian humanitarian agencies. The Islamic insurgency group accused World Vision, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and Diakonia of using humanitarian work as a guise for spreading the Gospel. The Christian organizations all denied the allegations and have temporarily suspended their operations. Al Shabaad has also reportedly declared war on the United Nations and other Western non-governmental organizations that distribute aid in Somalia. An estimated 4 million Somalis depend on humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the United Nations. Somalia’s population is nearly all Sunni Muslim.

August 17, 2010 Polling Director: Polls Stating Americans Support Gay Marriage Untrustworthy (LifeSiteNews) According to Tom Jensen, director of the North-Carolina based Public Policy Polling (PPP), polls finding that a majority of Americans support homosexual "marriage" cannot be trusted because Americans are sometimes hesitant to state their position before a live interviewer who may judge them to be intolerant. Earlier this month a CNN poll found that 52% of Americans thought that homosexuals should have the constitutional right to marry; 46% said the Constitution should not give that right. Public Policy Polling`s latest survey however, found that 57% of Americans think that same-sex "marriage" should be illegal, while only 33% think it should be legal and 11% have no opinion. The difference between the two polls, according to Jensen, springs from the fact that CNN and other major polling organizations use live interviewers, while Public Policy Polling uses an automated system.

He said that people are "more likely to tell their true feelings on an automated poll, where there`s no social anxiety concern, than to a live interviewer who they may be worried about the reaction of." "It is frankly impossible," he continued, "based on the results of gay marriage referendums over the last decade, to believe that a majority of Americans support its legalization." Gay marriage has been rejected by all the 31 U.S. states where it was put to a vote. Public Policy Polling was the only polling company that correctly predicted that Maine citizens would overturn a "gay marriage" law last year. "Dark blue states like California and Maine voted against it just in the last two years," pointed out Jensen. "Obama states like Wisconsin and Virginia rejected it by 14 and 18 points margins in 2006 and red states like South Carolina and Tennessee did so by 56 and 62 point margins." Jensen nevertheless said that the "the numbers are moving in the right direction for gay marriage proponents, if slowly." Voters under 30 opposed homosexual "marriage" 52% to 44%, according to the poll.

Over half of Americans thought that it would be legal 20 years from now, however. Proponents of gay “marriage” were very optimistic - 96% of them thought that it would be legal by 2030, while only 1% thought it would not be. August 17, 2010 Documents Show Botched Abortions Hurt Women More Frequently Than Believed (LifeSiteNews) A pro-life group released new documents today from a former abortion facility staffer showing two women injured medically by botched abortions in Columbus, Ohio in the last two months. The organization says it and other documents show women are injured more frequently than most people understand. An abortion whistle blower provided documentation to Operation Rescue showing disturbing information about two botched abortions that took place at different abortion businesses in the Ohio state capital in the last month. "It is our understanding from conversations with our confidential sources in Ohio that abortion patients in Columbus end up in the local emergency rooms with alarming frequency," OR president Troy Newman told LifeNews.com today. "Our whistleblower says that these two incidents are just the tip of the iceberg.

The true number of abortion complications is hidden from the public and it now appears that complications requiring emergency hospitalization have reached epidemic proportions," said Newman. The pro-life organization is demanding that the Medical Board of Ohio conduct inspections and close the dangerous abortion businesses in Columbus and around the state. The information from Ohio is just the latest the group has obtained from former abortion facility staffers blowing the whistle on shoddy and potentially illegal medical practices at abortion centers. Former employees of late-term abortion practitioner LeRoy Carhart submitted affidavits detailing illegal abortions, unlicensed staff dispensing drugs and performing medical tasks for which they were not qualified, and other offenses. This launched investigations by the Nebraska Attorney General and Health Department. A whistleblower confirmed abortion abuses that have been occurring at Planned Parenthood of the Heartland in Iowa where dangerous abortion pills are being administered through a remote-controlled push-button scheme known as " telemed abortion ." A medical board investigation is ongoing. Whistleblowers in California helped expose the fact that abortionist Andrew Rutland was violating the terms of his probation by doing abortions without the required supervision of another physician. He faces almost certain license revocation at a hearing scheduled for early next year.

Operation Rescue blew the whistle on illegal late-term abortion referrals provided by abortionist Ann Kristin Neuhaus in Kansas. Neuhaus now faces disciplinary action after Kansas authorities filed an 11-count petition against her based on OR`s complaint. Two victims of forced abortions done by Michigan abortionist Alberto Hodari came forward to tell of their horrific ordeals. Both women filed medical board complaints and one has sued. Currently, all seven of Hodari`s Detroit area abortion centers are up for sale August 16, 2010 Appeals Court Extends Hold on Calif. Gay Marriages (Christian Post) In its order, the three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the motion to stay the ruling of Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, who last week ordered state officials to stop enforcing California’s Proposition 8 beginning Aug. 18. The week before, Walker had ruled that people of the same sex have the right to marry and that the decision of the majority to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman – as Prop. 8 had done – violates that right. The Alliance Defense Fund, which has been defending Prop.

8, announced immediately after Walker’s most recent ruling that it would appeal to the 9th Circuit to stay the trial court’s decision until the case is concluded. In granting the motion, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals trumped Walker’s order but also agreed to expedite its consideration of the Prop. 8 case. The 9th Circuit Court, the most notoriously liberal appeals court in the nation, has scheduled oral arguments for the week of Dec. 6 and changed the due dates of the opening brief to Sept. 17 and the answering brief to Oct. 18. Lawyers for the two gay couples that challenged Prop. 8 said Monday they would not appeal the panel`s decision on the stay to the U.S. Supreme Court. August 17, 2010 Poll: Voters Say No to Abortions on Military Bases, Repealing DADT (LifeSiteNews) A new survey commissioned by the Military Culture Coalition (MCC) indicates that American voters would prefer to keep in place the 1993 law banning homosexuals serving in the military. The poll also indicated that U.S. voters oppose allowing abortion on military bases.

The MCC survey of 1000 likely voters nationwide found that 48 percent said they would prefer to keep the 1993 law, with 45 percent favoring repeal. A plurality (48 percent of voters) said Congress should give more weight to the testimony of the four service chiefs than advocates of overturning the law, which is often conflated with a corresponding Pentagon policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Forty-one percent said that Congress should heed the advice of advocates for repeal of the law and DADT. But voters also gave strong signs they did not want the acceptance of homosexuals to turn the military into a training camp for social experimentation. Fifty-five percent of voters disagreed with the statement that the “military should modify training programs to promote acceptance of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in all military colleges, training programs, and schools run by the U.S. Defense Department.” Just 40 percent voiced agreement. Voters also held that politics, not principle, motivated President Barack Obama’s promise to overturn the 1993 law by a full 26 percentage points (57 percent - 31 percent).

Only one percent of likely voters said repeal of DADT and the 1993 law should be a priority for the Congress and President Obama. However, the poll also indicated that Congressmen would receive more voter blowback for repealing the 1993 law than they would for maintaining the status quo. Thirty percent said they would be less likely to vote for their Member of Congress for changing the status quo, while 21 percent said they would be more likely. Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness (CMR), which also sponsored the MCC survey, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) Friday that Americans “prefer the status quo. They prefer the law stay where it is.” She said that the poll contradicts the narrative of many civilian surveys, which have simply polled adults, as opposed to likely voters - something that the MCC survey avoids. “They don’t explain what the law actually says. Ours is different: it does ask about the law itself, it even asks the respondents to comment on statements right out of the current law,” explained Donnelly.

Donnelly pointed out that the 45 percent of respondents supporting repeal of the law is a full 30 points less than the February 2010 ABC/Washington Post survey showing 75 percent of surveyed adults favored inclusion of professed gays in the military. “So it calls into question a lot of the civilian surveys that have been done up to today.” The U.S. House of Representatives has already voted to repeal the law behind DADT. The matter will be decided in the Senate where Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is trying to cobble together a filibuster to prevent a September vote on the repeal, which is included in a military appropriations bill. Also in the bill is a measure to repeal the ban on abortions being performed on U.S. military bases that was submitted by Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.). According to the MCC poll, voters were more decidedly opposed to allowing abortion in U.S. military medical facilities, by a margin of 49 percent to 41 percent.

Also the political ramifications were greater, as 43 percent of voters said they would be less likely to vote for lawmakers who approve tax-funded abortions at military bases, while just 21 percent said they would be more likely. Further details of the Military Culture Coalition survey can be found here: . August 16, 2010 UNC Bends to Pressure from Pro-Life Students, Abortion Coverage Now Optional (CitizenLink) After receiving significant pressure from students and the media about its health insurance policy covering abortion, the University of North Carolina (UNC) system will now give students the chance to opt-out of the coverage. Students for Life, CitizenLink and other pro-life organizations sounded the alarm on Wednesday that the University of North Carolina system, which oversees 17 institutions, offered only one health insurance plan to uninsured students – and it covered abortion. Erskine Bowles, president of the school system, directed Pearce and Pearce, the largest student health care insurance company in the nation, to contact students who purchased policies and offer them a chance to opt-out. Kristan Hawkins with Students for Life is thankful students now have an option.

“The Board of Governors came out and said they were going to allow pro-life students to opt-out of abortion coverage ,” she said, “and that their health care money wouldn’t go for other women’s abortions.” She said she would rather abortion not be included at all, because “Abortion is not health care.” August 13, 2010 Defending Our Religious Liberties Focus on the Family Daily: Alliance Defense Fund President Alan Sears discusses several current issues including the recent federal court ruling that struck down California`s Proposition 8 and the upcoming congressional vote on the military`s "don`t ask, don`t tell" policy. Click here to hear the interview. August 13, 2010 John Bolton: Russia`s Loading of Nuke Fuel Into Iran Plant Means Aug. 21 Deadline for Israeli Attack (NewsMax) News that Russia will load nuclear fuel rods into an Iranian reactor has touched off a countdown to a point of no return, a deadline by which Israel would have to launch an attack on Iran`s Bushehr reactor before it becomes effectively "immune" to any assault, says former Bush administration U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton.

Once the fuel rods are loaded, Bolton told Fox News on Friday afternoon, "it makes it essentially immune from attack by Israel. Because once the rods are in the reactor an attack on the reactor risks spreading radiation in the air, and perhaps into the water of the Persian Gulf." Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declared in March that Russia would start the Bushehr reactor this summer. But the announcement from a spokesman for Russia`s state atomic agency to Reuters Friday sent international diplomats scrambling to head off a crisis. The story immediately became front-page news in Israel, which has laid precise plans to carry out an attack on Iran`s nuclear facilities while going along with President Obama`s plans to use international sanctions and diplomatic persuasion to convince Iran`s clerics not to go nuclear. Bolton made it clear that it is widely assumed that any Israeli attack on the Bushehr reactor must take place before the reactor is loaded with fuel rods. "If they`re going to do it that`s the window that they have," Bolton declared. "Otherwise as I said before, once the rods are in the reactor, if you attack the reactor you`re going to open it up and radiation will escape at least into the atmosphere and possibly into the waters of the Persian Gulf.

"So most people think that neither Israel nor the United States, come to that, would attack the reactor after it`s been fueled." Bolton cited the 1981 Israeli attack on Saddam Hussein`s Osirak reactor outside Baghdad and the September 2007 Israeli attack on a North Korean reactor being built in Syria. Both of those strikes came before fuel rods were loaded into those reactors. "So if it`s going to happen in Bushehr it has to happen before the fuel rods go in," Bolton said. The conversation that touched off the de facto deadline for Israeli military action was a telephone conversation with wire services involving Sergei Novikov, a spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian Energy State Nuclear Corp. Novikov said: "The fuel will be loaded on Aug 21. This is the start of the physical launch” of the reactor. "From that moment the Bushehr plant will be officially considered a nuclear-energy installation," Novikov said, adding that the head of Rosatom, Sergei Kiriyenko, will visit Bushehr Aug. 21 to conduct a ceremony for the event.

According to Bolton, once the reactor is operational, it is only a matter of time before it begins producing plutonium that could be used in a nuclear weapon. "And in the normal operation of this reactor, in just a fairly short period of time, you could get substantial amounts of plutonium to use as nuclear weapons," Bolton told Fox. Russia, which is operating under a $1 billion contract with Iran, has spent more than a decade building the reactor. If Russia moves forward with its plan to fuel the reactor, it could be seen as a major setback to the Obama administration`s strategy of engaging Russian leaders in order to win their cooperation. "The U.S. urged them not to send the Iranian`s fuel rods," Bolton said. "They did that. The Obama administration has urged them not to insert the fuel rods in the reactors, but as they`ve just announced that will begin next week.

What that does over time is help Iran get another route to nuclear weapons through the plutonium they could reprocess out of the spent fuel rods." The developments mean Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon may face a stark choice: Attack the Bushehr reactor in the next 8 days, or allow it to become operational despite the certainty it would greatly enhance Iran`s ability to create nuclear weapons. Russian leaders have said the Bushehr reactor project is being closely monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN`s nuclear watchdog group. According to Iran`s ISNA news agency, IAEA inspectors will be on hand to observe the fuel-rod loading process that is now scheduled to begin Aug. 21. According to Russian officials, Iran has promised in writing to send all spent fuel rods from Bushehr back to Russia for reprocessing, to ensure they cannot be used for nuclear weapons. Bolton said the reactor has been "a hole" in American foreign policy for over a decade.

The failure to demand it be shut down began in the Bush years, he said, and continues with the Obama administration "under what I believe is the mistaken theory that Iran is entitled to the peaceful use of nuclear energy." "I don`t think Iran is entitled to that, or I don`t think we ought to allow it to happen, because they`re manifestly violating any number of obligations under the non-proliferation treaty not to seek nuclear weapons. But this has been a hole in American policy for some number of years, and Iran and Russia are obviously exploiting it," Bolton said. Russia’s move would put Iran "in a much better position overall," he said, adding, "I think this is a very delicate point, as I say, it closes off to the Israelis one possible target for pre-emptive military action. U.N. sanctions against Iran, he said, "have not had and will not have any material effect on Iran`s push to have deliverable nuclear weapons." August 13, 2010 Obama, N.Y.

pols, Jewish groups show Ramadan hospitality with iftar dinners (USA Today) All the fracas over the mosque near Ground Zero isn`t driving politicians away from acknowledging the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that began today. Starting with President Obama. As he did last year he`s scheduled an iftar -- a post-sunset meal -- for the White House on Friday. In his Ramadan greetings statement released today, ( The Oval has full text ) Obama said the holiday rituals, including a focus on service and charity... ... Remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam`s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings. Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality. And here in the United States, Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been part of America and that American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country... And in New York, where voices screamed loudest about the Islamic Center planned for two blocks from Ground Zero, the same political leaders who gave iftars in 2009 are stepping up again to show hospitality.

Faiza Ali, community affairs director for the New York office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told USA TODAY`s Benjamin Soloway, This year, local elected officials across the five boroughs are hosting Ramadan iftars displaying their continued commitment to building bridges with all New Yorkers despite opposition to mosques and community centers . Mehmet Demirci, who wrote about iftars all over Manhattan for the Turkish web site ZamanUSA.com last year, says he thinks there will be no shortage of similar events in 2010 because election season looms. Politicians will consider Ramadan dinners as a chance to get to know Muslim communities better...Meanwhile Ramadan dinners serve a good purpose for Muslim communities as well. They give Muslims the chance to explain themselves better and ...show themselves as a community. In Chicago, the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative and Anshe Sholom B`nai Israel Congregation are holding "Iftar in the Synagogue 2010 - Know Thy Neighbor" on Thursday evening. Their press release, also backed by several Jewish and Muslim community groups, notes: The Torah commands us to "love thy neighbor," and the Quran reminds us that "We created you ...

and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other." August 13, 2010 They`re doing it: U.N. makes its move into your school (WorldNetDaily) The agenda of the United-Nations-funded and -run International Baccalaureate Curriculum is making massive inroads into America`s public schools, with operations already established in more than 1,000 locations.

Question: With UK number one hits 'Right Round' and 'Club Can't Handle Me', what is both the stage name and home US state of rapper Tramar Dillard?
Answer: FLO RIDA