“Talk about extreme, militant Islamists and the atrocities that they have perpetrated globally might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims.” — Robert McManus, Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, February 8, 2013 LINK

Around 1:00 AM on April 16, at least one individual (possibly two) entered two different manholes at the PG&E Metcalf power substation, southeast of San Jose, and cut fiber cables in the area around the substation. That knocked out some local 911 services, landline service to the substation, and cell phone service in the area, LINK

Russia faces a New Year security nightmare after the second devastating suicide bomb explosion within 24 hours, this time on a rush hour trolley bus in Volgograd.  The latest blast killed at least 14 with 28 wounded, some severely. LINK

Activity has been reported in Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming, according to the CDC’s weekly flu advisory report, covering the week ending December 21 – up from only four the week before. LINK

Just as a large circulating “garbage patch” of debris from Fukushima is about to hit the West Coast in 2014 state debris hotlines and websites are closing up shop and going dark. They say that there is “no activity” despite enormous sums of grant money spent for new programs, mobilization of an army of personnel to battle the debris issue, LINK

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A deadly suicide bombing at a crowded railroad station in southern Russia on Sunday, followed by a blast in a trolley bus on Monday in the same city, raised the specter of a new wave of terrorism just six weeks before the Winter Olympics in Sochi. LINK

This is one of the most heart warming stories I have seen in a long time. Joseph   LINK to story

The Little Sisters of the Poor operates St. Martin’s Home in Catonsville and about 30 other homes for the poor and elderly across the country, including in Colorado, where the federal lawsuit was filed on their behalf in September by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. LINK

Pedophilia has been widely viewed as a psychological disorder triggered by early childhood trauma.Now, many experts see it as a biologically rooted condition that does not change — like a sexual orientation — thanks largely to a decade of research by Dr. James Cantor at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. LINK

Investor Tim Draper has submitted a proposal to the California state attorney’s office; seeking approval on the splitting of the state into 6 separate states which would facilitate easier governance. Draper is pushing for this measure to receive 1 million signatures so that it will be on the voter’s ballot by next November. LINK

A Massachusetts teenager was arrested on Christmas day after police say he pulled a knife on his father because he did not receive an iPhone he wanted for Christmas. LINK

A nun in Germany has recently done a presentation in a conference of an independent investigation she conducted of the treatment of Christians in Syria under the hands of Muslim fundamentalists. She revealed that Muslims are butchering Christians, draining their blood in bottles, and selling each bottle for $100,000 to Muslims LINK

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