News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Turkey Sends Soldiers Across Border Into Iraq - PHOTOS
Rice pushes "roadmap" as Turkish troops enter Iraq - Video
US military not told of Turkey bomb plan

Operation Enduring Freedom
U.S. Team Opens Women's Shelter

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Bin Laden's driver to receive POW review
Israel kills 13 Palestinian militants in Gaza - Video
Bush's January Mideast tour seeks to bolster peace bid
Judge orders hearing on destroyed CIA videos
U.S. still unprepared for disaster: report

Fallen Heroes
Missing Air Force Officer from Vietnam War Identified

Supporting Our Heroes
Virginia Guard Family Gets Extreme Dream Home

Other Military News
Bombs Away - White House slashes U.S. nuke arsenal
Senate OKs $70 Billion for Iraq, Afghanistan (Freakin' FINALLY!!!!)
Navy saves gravely ill girl on cruise

Religion of Peace??
Muslim Brides Undergoing Painful Vaginal Surgery to 'Re-virginize' for Wedding Nights

Worldwide Wackos
Chavez says to lunch with Castro

Politics / Government
Congress to hold hearings on steroid use
Congress eases access to gov't records
Programs let addicted docs practice
Congress approves fuel economy mandate
Poll: Edwards Takes Lead in Iowa
Clinton Teams Up With Bill, Magic Johnson in Iowa - VIDEO
Filmmaker Ken Burns Backing Obama
YouDecide 2008 Campaign Coverage (Fox News)
Mike Huckabee in New Ad: Merry Christmas and I Approve This Message
Democratic candidates and McCain lead on climate
Clinton claims momentum shifting to her in Iowa - Video
Obama: Leader needed in foreign policy
Bush to make his first trip to Jerusalem
Laura Bush: Myanmar junta not addressing concerns
South Africa heads into uncertainty with Zuma victory
Bermuda's ruling party wins general election
Kenya heads for one of Africa's closest votes

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Family Lucky to Survive SWAT Team Shootout
Aruba Investigation Into Disappearance of American Teen Natalee Holloway Is Not Over
Romanian Woman Accused of Throwing Newborn Out Brothel Window
'Sex Teacher' Appears in Court - PHOTOS
New Jersey Inmates Used Bikini Photos to Cover Escape Holes in 'Shawshank'-Style Jailbreak
Cops: Man Beat Boy, 7, for Wearing Pink Nail Polish
Cops Dismiss Peterson Brutality Accusations
Man Pleads No Contest in Nude Blackmail Case
NFL fines 5 Falcons for Vick tributes
Fight over heat makes wife hot

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
FCC approves new media ownership rule

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
'Death Star Galaxy' Blasts Neighbor With Lethal Jet
Chicago Middle School Principal Dies During Routine Root Canal
Sex Your Way to Better Health: A Dozen Reasons Why You Should Have Sex Tonight
Many kids may not outgrow cow's milk allergy
Study backs newer technique for lung blood clots
Brrrr: Scientists trace the roots of feeling cold
Italians crack open DNA secrets of Pinot Noir
Apple plays DoCoMo against Softbank over iPhone
Nintendo says Wii shortages hurt planning
NASA ties shuttle gauge woes to bad part

Mother Nature
Unknown Giant Rat Discovered in New Guinea Jungle

News from My Neck of the Woods
Woman on Crutches Accused of Groping Connecticut Mall Santa While Sitting on His Lap

Oddities
Deadly 'Everest' (Death at Disney)
Japan's Top Government Spokesman: UFOs 'Definitely' Exist
Woman Found Dead in Crash Vehicle One Day After Son Was Extracted
Prank May Have Led to Shock Treatments for Two Teens
Pedestrian charged for walking over car

Other News of Note
21 Questions Answered About Mormon Faith
Helicopter Carrying Santa to Kids' Party Shot Down In Rio
Tens of Thousands Still Without Power - PHOTOS
Magna Carta Expected to Fetch Millions at Auction

Fox News
FOXBusiness: Fed Unveils Shield for Home Buyers - VIDEO
Report: Coach Turned Holiday Display Into Porn
Passenger Train Derails in Pakistan, Many Feared Dead
Bank Gives Employees $1,000 to Spend on Needy

Reuters
Pakistani train crashes killing 32
Clemens urges no rush to judgment on steroid report
U.S. consumers procrastinating on holiday buys: data - Video
Britney Spears' sister is pregnant at 16
Happy Holidays tops Merry Christmas in survey
Polls show shoppers, particularly men, dodge stores
Hasselhoff and ex-wife settle bitter custody battle
Burt Bacharach, Doris Day earn lifetime Grammys
Palm shares fall on outlook as rivals gain share - Video
Best Buy 3rd-qtr profit jumps; outlook cautious
GM to offer new round of buyouts to hourly workers
Pentagon awards $2.6 billion to build trucks
LG Electronics replaces CFO, creates CPO post
Take-Two loss shrinks, but forecast falls short
Americans want fit finances before fit body: study
Tech resurgence sends Wall Street higher - Video
Dollar firm on year-end buying need - Video
Oil edges up ahead of weekly U.S. inventory data
Fisher says Fed must be mindful of inflation
Cerberus CEO testifies on sour United Rentals deal
DreamWorks Animation shares up on buyback
Adobe rises as forecast tops Wall Street
Take-Two falls after results
U.S. shopping center shares tank on Centro problems
A page from the old G7 playbook?
Distressed debt hedge funds to shine
The threat of uncertainty

AP World News
Sean Taylor makes Pro Bowl posthumously
Winehouse reportedly arrested in Britain
Fed endorses home mortgage protections
Kimmel joins Leno, O'Brien back on air
Obituaries in the news

CENTCOM: News Releases
SEVERAL MILITANTS KILLED DURING AFGHAN, COALITION FORCES OPERATIONS IN HELMAND
MNC-I SOLDIER DIES FROM NON-COMBAT RELATED INJURY

USJFCOM
U.S. Joint Forces Command, IBM sign new cooperative research and development agreement
More about CRADAs
Ribbon cut for new SOCJFCOM headquarters - podcast
Newsmaker Profile: SOCJFCOM Commander Army Col. Wesley Rehorn - podcast
More about SOCJFCOM

Multi-National Force-Iraq
Iraqi Security Forces Fund Provides New Vehicles for National Police
1st Cavalry Regiment Welcomes Citizens Back to Al Bata
MND-B Soldiers detain 2 alleged extremists
Iraqi National Police Emergency Response Unit Completes Training
MPs assist in distribution of Japan’s donation to IPs
Iraqi Soldiers, U.S. Special Forces capture known arms dealer, cell leader (Ba'ajah)
Air weapons team takes out mortar threat (Arab Jabour)
Coalition forces capture Special Groups leader, 12 detained (Aziziyah)

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Chairman Shares Happy USO Memories with Troops

IRAQ NEWS
Troops Get Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids
Water Well Brings Life to Villagers
Troops Kill 5, Seize 30, Destroy Tunnels

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Day-Long Battle Kills 21 Insurgents

MILITARY NEWS
Mullen Issues Holiday Message, Thanks Troops
Mrap Vehicle Orders Top 11,900
Report Outlines Path to Unmanned Systems
U.S. Troops Deliver Food to Rural Honduran Village

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Red Cross to Deliver Holiday Cards to Wounded Troops
Volunteers Lay Wreaths at Arlington Cemetery

Today in History
1118 - Alfonso van Aragón occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden
1352 - Etienne Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI
1603 - Admiral Steven van der Haghens fleet departs to East-Indies
1621 - English parliament accept unanimously, Protestation
1774 - Jews expelled from Prague, Bohemia; Moravia by Empress Maria Theresa
1777 - 1st national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender
1783 - English king George III fires government of Portland
1787 - New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution
1796 - 1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
1799 - George Washington's body interred at Mount Vernon
1813 - British take Fort Niagara in the War of 1812
1832 - Charles Darwin visits Vurland
1839 - 1st celestial photograph (the moon) made in US, John Draper, New York NY
1849 - William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
1859 - South Carolina declared an "independent commonwealth"
1862 - Battle at Lexington TN (Forrest's Second Raid)
1865 - 1st US cattle importation law passed
1878 - French SS Byzantin sinks after collision, 210 killed
1890 - Lugards expedition to Mengo/Kampala, Uganda
1899 - Fieldmarshal Lord Roberts appointed British supreme commander in South Africa
1917 - Soviet regiment (Stalin/Lenin) declares Finland Independent
1920 - 1st US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US
1923 - International zone of Tangier set up in Morocco
1935 - Edward Benes becomes President of Czechoslovakia
1936 - Su-Lin, 1st giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in San Francisco
1939 - Finnish army recaptures Agläjärvi
1941 - German submarine U-434 sinks; Japanse troops land on Hong Kong
1944 - Destroyers Hull, Spence & Monaghan sink in typhoon (Philippines); Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
1945 - Uruguay joins the United Nations
1948 - Indonesia begins its 2nd political election
1956 - Japan admitted to the United Nations; Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1957 - Shippingport Atomic Power Station, 1st nuke plant to generate electricity
1958 - 1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment; Niger gains autonomy within French Community (National Day)
1960 - General Meeting of United Nations condemns apartheid
1961 - India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao & Diu
1964 - During services held for Sam Cooke, fans caused damage to Funeral Home
1965 - Borman & Lovell splash down in Atlantic ends 2 week Gemini VII mission
1966 - Dr Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS; Britain abolishes death penalty
1971 - People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) forms by Jesse Jackson in Chicago
1972 - US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam
1973 - Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days
1976 - "Wonder Woman" debuts on ABC; Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovski exchanged for Chile CP-leader Corvalan
1980 - Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws; IRA's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike; Vietnam adopts constitution
1985 - UN Security Council unanimously condemns "acts of hostage-taking"
1991 - DeForest Kelly (Dr. McCoy on "Star Trek") gets a star in Hollywood; General Motors announces the closing of 21 plants
1994 - Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election
1996 - TV industry executives agree to adopt a ratings system

Birthdays
1709 - Elizabeth, empress of Russia
1803 - William Allen (Representative/Governor-OH)
1811 - Alexander Sandor Asboth, Union Brevet Major General
1816 - Alfred Elzey Jones, Confederate Major General
1825 - Charles Griffin, Union Major General
1826 - Mercer Brooke John, Confederate Navy
1835 - George Dashiell Bayard, Union Brigadier-General
1856 - Joseph John Thomson, English physicist, discovered electron (Nobel 1906)
1863 - Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria (Sarajevo/WWI)
1888 - Robert Moses, power broker (built Long Island; NYC parks & roads)
1890 - Edwin Howard Armstrong, radio pioneer inventor (FM)
1913 - Willy Brandt, (Herbert Frahm), German chancellor (1969-74, Nobel 1971)
1927 - Ramsey Clark,US Attorney General (1967-69); Saddam Hussein's attorney
1930 - Theodore C. Freeman, astronaut
1934 - Boris Valentinovich Volynov, cosmonaut (Soyuz 5, 21)
1942 - William HAF, English prince/grandson of George V
1945 - Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, King of Nepal (1972-2001)
1946 - Stephen (Steve) Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist
1947 - Steven Spielberg, director (ET, Close Encounters, Jaws)
1951 - Andrew S.W. Thomas, Ph.D./astronaut (STS 77, STS 89/91)
1956 - Reinhold Ewald, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-25)

Passings
0468 - Huna Mari bar Mar Zutra, rabbi, executed in Pumpedita
1290 - Magnus I Ladulås (Barn Bolt), King of Sweden (1277-90)
1505 - John IX van Horne, prince-bishop of Lieges, executed
1651 - Francisco the Melo, Portuguese/Spanish earl of Assumar, dies at 54
1737 - Antonio Stradivari, renowned violin-maker, dies in Cremona Italy at 93
1829 - Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, French nature investigator, dies at about 85
1862 - Johnson Kelly Duncan, architect/Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 35
1897 - Carlo A. Alfieri, Italian Member of parliament, dies at 70
1919 - John Alcock, pilot (1st non-stop over Atlantic), dies in crash at 27
1931 - John T. "Legs" Diamond, US gangster, murdered at 35
1932 - Eduard "Ede" Bernstein, German marxist/revisionist, dies at 82
1935 - Juan V Gómez, general/dictator of Venezuela (1908-35)
1980 - Alexei N. Kosygin, Soviet PM (1964-80), suffers a fatal heart attack at 76
1981 - Mehmet Shehu, PM Albania (1954-81)/"US-Russian spy", commits suicide
1992 - Mark Goodson, TV game show producer (Goodson-Toddman), dies at 77; Richard H. Ichord, US leader of House Un-American Activities Committee

Reported Missing in Action
1968
Barras, Gregory I., USAF (MS); A1H shot down - remains returned, ID'd December, 1998

1971
Hildebrand, Leland L., USAF (WI); F4 shot down (w/Wells), released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Wells, Kenneth, USAF (WA); released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

1972
The following USAF personnel reported MIA when their B52G was shot down:
Certain, Robert G. (MD); navigator - released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Ferguson, Walter L. (MI); gunner - remains returned March, 1973

Johnson, Richard E. (CA); radar navigator, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive as of 1998

Rissi, Donald L. (IL); pilot/commander - remains returned August, 1978

Simpson, Richard T. (SC); electronics warfare officer - released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as Lt. Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Thomas, Robert J. (FL); co-pilot - remains returned August, 1978

Other MIA's in 1972
McElvain, James R., USAF (CA); F111 shot down (w/Ward)

Ward, Ronald J., USAF (OK); F111 shot down (W/McElvain)

Labels: Headlines, History