The "Genealogy" Of The Constitution

From New Zeal via Gulagbound:

In July of 2012, KrisAnne Hall gave this presentation about five British documents and the circumstances that gave rise to their creation.  Some of their concepts later found their way into the U.S. Constitution.  Some of the things that went on during those times might just sound a bit familiar.  Before you click, make sure you have some time.  The video is one hour and 16 minutes long.

Typhoon Haiyan Strikes The Philippines

The Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines early yesterday, and has caused widespread damage and an estimated 1,200 fatalities, although only 138 deaths have been confirmed by the government.  Because the country consists of thousands of islands, gathering such information can take several days.  The city of Tacloban on the island of Leyte was hit hard, with mudslides and 30-foot waves from the storm surge.  With sustained winds of 147 miles per hour at landfall, Haiyan was the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane, after weakening from a category 5 "super typhoon".  The storm is now heading toward Vietnam.

Read more at NBC News, USA Today, The Guardian, CNN, BBC News, Sky News and Weather(dot)com.

Friday Links

A few stories to start off the weekend:

From Judicial Watch, and the "you've got to be kidding" department, the Obama administration is attempting to negotiate the release of prisoners from GITMO who get counseling, job training and learn about a "peaceful form of Islam".

From Media Research Center, how NBC "hypes" President Obama's apology for the failures of ObamaCare.

From Life Site News, November is Adoption Awareness Month.

From Mail Online, an asylum seeker in Britain who received £10,000 for flying lessons has been exposed as a liar, about his age and his family.

From Fox News, speaking of flying, a 500-lb man, seeking to return to France after spending a year and a half in the United States for hormone treatment, was not allowed to board his plane in Chicago.

From The Hill, with other parts of his agenda crumbling, Obama moves ahead on climate change - through EPA regulations, that is.

From Breitbart's Big Government, Obama meets with his one-time river Senator McCain to discuss amnesty immigration reform.

From Talking Points Memo, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal) states that there won't be any vote on immigration reform this year.

From CNS News, new regulations released earlier today require health insurance companies to cover mental illness and drug abuse just as they cover physical diseases.  But if you think that this arises from ObamaCare, you'd be wrong.  The regulations go back to a law signed by President George W. Bush.  So if they cause something to go wrong, go ahead and blame Bush.

From Israel Hayom, Palestinians attack Israelis in Judea and Samaria.

From The Daily Caller, Iran demands acceptance of its nuclear program, and the removal of sanctions.

From Yahoo News Canada, Secretary of State John Kerry meets with the Iranian Foreign Minister, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the agreement so far proposed.  (via Barracuda Brigade)

From CBS News, a satellite launched in 2009 by the European Space Agency will soon come crashing down.

And from USA Today, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded, blasts into the Philippines.

Marvel Introduces Teen Female Muslim Superhero

New Marvel Comics character Kamala Khan is a 16-year-old Muslim immigrant from Pakistan living in New Jersey, and is known as a "geek", but is also the latest alter-ego of superhero Ms. Marvel, who has shape-shifting abilities.  No word yet as to whether she will be forced to wear a hijab or burqa, or if there will be an attempted honor killing she will have to defend herself from.  But since she is depicted without any covering for her hair, she is sure to raise some eyebrows.

Read the story at the New York Times, The Telegraph, ABC News, The Verge and the Christian Science Monitor.

This Year's Elections

Although 2013 is an odd year, there are still some elections going on.

In New Jersey, Chris Christie (R) has been re-elected governor, defeating challenger Barbara Buono (D), who currently is a state senator.

In Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli (R) is leading narrowly over Terry McAuliffe (D) in the governor's race.  Ralph Northam (D) has defeated E. W. Jackson for lieutenant governor.  Mark Obenshain (R) is leading Mark Herring in the race for attorney general, the office which Cuccinelli currently holds.

In New York City, Bill de Blasio (D) is expected to defeat Joe Lhota (R) in the mayoral race.  De Blasio would become the first Democrat mayor of New York since 1993, after the successive terms of Republican Rudy Giuliani and Republican-turned-Independent Michael Bloomberg.

UPDATE:  The mayoral race in New York has been called for Blasio.  The Virginia governor's race has been called by one media outlet for McAuliffe, who late during the vote-counting, moved ahead of Cuccinelli (same link as above), but is considered too close to call by another outlet.

UPDATE 2:  The above-mentioned "another outlet" has now called the VA governor's race for McAuliffe.

Drunk Frenchmen Go Joyriding With Llama

A bunch of guys in Bordeaux, France decided to break into the Franco-Italian Circus, with the intention of stealing a zebra.  When they couldn't find one, they settled on abducting a llama, and proceeded to take the "surprisingly agreeable" animal for a ride on the city's tram system.  They were later arrested and charged with misdemeanor theft.  The llama was returned to the circus unharmed.

Read the story at the New York Post and Mirror News.  Here's a pic of the Bordeaux joyriders:

Obama "Misspoke"?

With all the health insurance cancellations that seem to be occurring due to the implementation of Obamacare, the president's promise "If you like your plan, you can keep it" does not appear to be holding true.  Some might think that he lied and others may think he came to believe his own male bovine waste, but the New York Times says that he "clearly misspoke".  This assertion begs the question about whether making the same statement over and over again, as compiled in this video put out by New York Magazine, can be legitimately called "misspeaking".  Watch and judge for yourself.

Come to think of it, that word "misspoke" sounds vaguely familiar.

Bigfoot Hunters Arrested After Accidental Shooting

Three men in Oklahoma decided to go on a "Bigfoot hunt".  One of them was "spooked" by what he thought was a bigfoot, and then fired at its general direction, only to find out that he had shot one of his fellow hunters in the back.  After seeking medical attention for the wounded man, who is expected to survive, the three were arrested.  However, while police have the hunters, they cannot find the gun.  Authorities have not indicated whether any of the hunters was named "Dick Cheney".

Read the story at The Raw Story.

Statue Of Jesus Raised In.....Syria?

Via Now The End Begins:

A statue of Jesus has reportedly been taken into Syria and then put up on Cherubim Mountain, where it overlooks an ancient pilgrimage route.  Somehow, the combatants in the area, including Syrian government forces, rebels and local militia, all held their fire while the statue was brought in and set up over a three-day period.  The statue itself is about 40 feet tall, and with its support forms a structure with a total height of 105 feet.  Considering the hostility that some Al Qaeda-linked rebels have toward Christians, how long the statue will remain undamaged is a good question.

Read the story at Before It's News.

Gunman Kills TSA Employee And Wounds Six At LAX

Earlier today, a man armed with a rifle fatally shot a TSA employee and wounded at least 6 others at Los Angeles International Airport, known as LAX.  The shooter started on the ground floor of LAX's Terminal 3, and continued after running up an escalator to a TSA screening area.  Airport police tracked the suspect and eventually subdued him.  The suspect has been identified as Paul Ciancia, 23, a resident of either Los Angeles or Pennsville, NJ, depending on which report you trust.  Ciancia dropped a bag at a security checkpoint, from which a note was recovered, containing "threatening language directed at the TSA and anti-government rants".

Read more at Fox News, CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, KABC, and NBC Southern California.