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Huckabee, Obama win Iowa caucuses Musharraf denies government involvement in death of Bhutto Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has denied accusations the security forces or intelligence services were involved in the assassination of former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

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US presidential candidate Duncan Hunter speaks to Wikinews Duncan Hunter, who is currently seeking the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, was interviewed by Wikinews journalist David Shankbone about running for president, the government, religion and more.

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A Venezuelan Let L-410 Turbolet carrying at least 14 and possibly 18 people crashes near the Los Roques Archipelago. 2008 Dakar Rally, an off-road motor vehicle endurance race, is cancelled, due to safety concerns in Mauritania, the day before it was scheduled to start. North Korean officials accuse the United States of not fulfilling its promise of humanitarian aid after an international disarmament agreement.

High percentage of US patients on placebos without knowing it
A new study amongst doctors in the United States on the use of placebos—pills with no medical effect—shows that almost half of the questioned practitioners prescribe placebos, most of them within the last year.

The majority of 466 faculty physicians at Chicago-area medical schools interviewed by a research group of the University of Chicago stated that placebos are useful to calm a patient down or to respond to demands for medication that the doctor disagrees with, i.e. "to get the patient to stop complaining".

96 percent of the physicians surveyed believe that placebos can have therapeutic effects. Close to 40 percent stated that placebos could benefit patents physiologically as well as mentally.

Twelve percent of surveyed physicians think that placebos should be banned from clinical practice. Among the doctors who prescribed them, one in five said they outright lied to patients by claiming a placebo was medication. But more often the physicians came up with ways to explain like that "this may help you but I'm not sure how it works."

The American Medical Association (AMA), the largest association of U.S. doctors and medical students, tells its members that "[p]hysicians may use placebos for diagnosis or treatment only if the patient is informed of and agrees to its use." The research, published in Journal of General Internal Medicine this week, is the first major U.S. study of doctors on the use of placebos since 1979.

Israeli troops kill 9 in Gaza

Georgian President faces election challenge
At least nine Palestinians have been killed during Israeli missions in Gaza; four gunmen and five civilians during air and ground raids.

Israeli troops moved in to the Khan Younis area early Thursday where clashes with militants took up the majority of the fighting. The deadliest attack by a tank shell reportedly killed five family members. Medics later announced that two more Palestinians were killed when Israeli troops called in an air strike after being trapped in one area. Later tank fire injured three children, leaving one in critical condition.

Israel launched the offensive after a Katyusha rocket fired from the Gaza Strip penetrated 17 km (10 mi) into Israeli territory and landed in the city of Ashkelon where no one was injured. Israel however, fears that the rocket's potential range of 19 miles can put up to 250,000 Israeli's as targets. David Baker, Israeli spokesperson, said "the Palestinians have attacked a major Israeli city ... and thus have upped the ante. Israel will not allow any cities to be attacked by Palestinian rocket fire."

Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees both claimed responsibility for the attack and released a joint statement stating "we are going to launch more strikes in the depth of the entity," referring to Israel.

The fighting comes just a week before United States President George W. Bush arrives in the region to discuss Israeli-Palestinian relations. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel's offensive was no coincidence.

"We consider what's going on in Gaza ... as a bloody Israeli message in which Israel shirks itself of any commitment before the arrival of President Bush to the region."

Troops also stormed the city of Nablus in the West Bank where at least nineteen people have been injured.

The attacks follow previous operations in Gaza on Wednesday which killed at least six.

US unemployment hits two-year high
Unemployment in the United States rose sharply last month and government figures released late Friday show the number of new jobs was at its lowest level in four years. President Bush is considering more tax cuts in an effort to boost the nation's sagging economy.

American unemployment rose to five percent last month, the highest rate since 2005 and new employment statistics released Friday show the U.S. economy added only 18,000 new jobs in December, far fewer than most economists expected.

"This economy of ours is on a solid foundation, but we can't take economic growth for granted, and there are signs that will cause us to be ever more diligent and make sure good policies come out of Washington," he said.

The president says consumer spending is still strong and core inflation is low, but home values are declining and gasoline and food prices are rising.

Mr. Bush warned opposition Democrats in Congress against raising taxes, saying that is the worst thing lawmakers could do. But he did urge them to pass legislation that could help more Americans refinance their homes.

"When Congress comes back, I look forward to working with them to deal with the economic realities of the moment and to ensure the American people that we will do everything we can to make sure we remain a prosperous country," he added.

The ongoing financial crisis over adjustable-rate mortgages continues to affect the overall economy and not just home sales. There has been a cut in jobs in the building industry and the Labor Department report also shows a drop in factory jobs.

President Bush is considering an economic stimulus package that could include more tax cuts. In a Thursday interview with the Reuters news service, Mr. Bush said he and his economic team are considering all their options and he probably will not decide whether to act until his State of the Union Address later this month.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer is urging the president to take action to avoid what the lawmaker says could be the economy tumbling into recession.

Israel plans crackdown on West Bank settlement outposts
Israel is planning measures to curb settlement activity in the occupied territories in response to pressure from the United States.

Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Israel Radio that he expects the government to take action against the outposts during and after the visit of President Bush to Israel and the West Bank next week.

The outposts are often built on West Bank hilltops, and usually consist of a few trailers or makeshift structures. Israel is obligated to dismantle about 100 outposts under the internationally backed "Roadmap" peace plan, which forms the basis of new negotiations with the Palestinians. But most of the outposts remain in place despite past pledges by Israel to remove them.

The new pledge by Mr. Ramon appears to be a response to American pressure. On Thursday, President Bush described Jewish settlements as an "impediment" to the peace process, and said the outposts should be dismantled.

The settlers accuse the Israeli government of betrayal, saying it is caving in to the dictates of the Unites States. Settlement activist Nadia Matar promises fierce resistance if soldiers and police try to remove the outposts.

"We must organize to prevent [the] giving away of our homeland to the Arab enemy," she said, "and the message is very clear: We are a generation of committed Jews, who do not fear internal or external enemies of the Jewish people."

US dollar no longer accepted at Taj Mahal and other Indian historical sites
Due to the declining value of the United States dollar, tourism officals in India have decided to no longer accept the American currency at the site of one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal and 120 other Indian historical sites.

The monument has refused to take dollars since November, as such, any American tourist wishing to visit the white domed marble mausoleum of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal will pay over 500 Indian rupees (US$12.80 at the current exchange rate) to be allowed in and additionally receive a free bottle of water.

The decision came as a result as part of the continuing decline of the American dollar, falling 11 percent in 2007 and now valued around 39 rupees.

Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told CNN-IBN that it seemed more practical and will save tourists money because "the dollar was weaker against the rupee," Soni added "Before the dollar lost its value, there was a demand to have (admission tickets) just in rupees."

Transaven Airlines plane carrying 14 people crashes off Venezuelan coast
An aircraft owned and operated by Transaven Airlines has crashed into the sea off the coast of Venezuela. 14 people were on board.

The dual-engined Let L-410 plane had departed from Simon Bolivar International Airport near Carcas and subsequently crashed into the ocean aproximatly 24 miles (39 km) from the Los Roques Archipelago, according to General Antonio Rivero, emergency management director for Venezuela. However, Bloomberg reported that it had left the airport at the Los Roques prior to the accident.

Reuters reported that the crash was initially noticed when the plane failed to arrive at the Los Roques, according to air rescue worker Caleb Castro. Rivero told Reuters that four extra passengers had boarded at the last minute, bringing the total on board to 18.

The Italian foreign ministry told reporters that eight of those on board were Italian, whilst Rivero's agency said the others were five Venezuelans and an American. The United States embassy said it had no information about details of their citizen on the flight, and a subsequent release said it was possible he or she was in fact Swiss.

Search and rescue teams are using boats and helicopters to search for any survivors. "Speed boats, a plane and a helicopter are searching for the aircraft," Castro said to reporters.

Luis Diaz, operations director for civil protection, said that the plane had reported engine trouble shortly before contact was lost. Although weather is not presently considered a factor, as conditions were good at the time, rains and high waves have developed and are hampering search efforts. Transaven have had two previous incidents, but no accidents. In 2002 a Transaven plane performed an emergency landing on water, in which all thirteen on board escaped uninjured. The other was a standard emergency landing in 2005. Both were on the same Caracas-Los Roques route.

Transaven, a small local company, regularly flies to Los Roques, which are a popular tourist destination boasting white sand beaches, a national park and world-class scuba diving sites.

Sportswriter Milt Dunnell dies at 102
Milt Dunnell, Canadian sportswriter who was known chiefly for his work at the Toronto Star has died at the age of 102.

Born on December 24, 1905 in St. Marys, Ontario, Dunnell entered journalism with The Beacon Herald in the 1920s, later becoming the sports editor. He joined The Star as a sportswriter in 1942, becoming sports editor in 1949. He wrote on almost all sports during his career, which lasted more than fifty years, although his productivity declined somewhat in later years. In the 1990s, he was still writing three columns per week until the age of 94.

Amongst other events, Dunnell covered the Olympic Games from 1952 through 1968, Stanley and Grey Cup events, and the Kentucky Derby. He also wrote extensively on baseball for the Toronto Star, even well before the city received a Major League team in 1977.

In 1988, Dunnell received the Jack Graney Award for his contribution to baseball in Canada.

Dunnell was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

The city of Toronto named a baseball diamond after Dunnell on June 10, 2006 at Bond Park in a ceremony attended by Dunnell.

2007 was particularly good year for aviation safety
Statistics supplied by a survey from the Geneva-based Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO) and by aviation insurance specialist Aon suggest that 2007 was an unusually good year for safety in the aviation industry. The ACRO reports that fatal aircraft accidents involving planes carrying over six people were at their lowest since 1963, while Aon reports that fatal accidents on commercial airliners totaled 23, which Flight International reports to be an all-time low.

ACRO reports that 136 crashes killed a total of 965 people worldwide. It says this is 28 fewer crashes than 2006, and also a 25% decrease in fatalities. Flight reported that 23 fatal commercial airliner crashes killed a total of 597 people. That accident rate is the lowest it has ever been, and both figures are well below the average for the last decade, which came in at 35.5 and 846.3 respectively. In 2006, 27 fatal commercial aviation accidents killed 863 people.

Aon reports that in 2007 there were 47 commercial hull loss accidents, including all 23 fatal accidents. That includes three accidents involving mishaps occurring to parked aircraft (including China Airlines Flight 120, a Boeing 737-800 that caught fire at the gate with passengers still on board). One hull loss is not included in the statistics; an Airbus A340-600 was destroyed after it rammed a wall during ground testing in Toulouse, but was not counted because the new aircraft was still with Airbus and was yet to be delivered t its first owner, Etihad Airways.

"In 2007, more than two billion were traveling worldwide and we have thousands and thousands of aircraft, airplanes flying every day worldwide, it means that airplanes, aviation is one of the safest transport modes in the world," said Ronan Hubert, aviation accident historian and head of ACRO.

According to Hubet, the highest number of accidents recorded in an individual country was 34 in the United States, followed by Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia and Indonesia. However, he defended US air safety, pointing out that North America accounts for most of the world's air traffic and therefore it was to be expected that there would be a high level of accidents there. He went on to criticise African air safety, which is so poor that most African airlines are on the list of air carriers banned in the EU. He blamed this on political factors. "We know today that countries like Somalia, Sudan and DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], they are totally unsafe," said Hubert. "But, we know why. Somalia is today a country of which you have a civil war for many years. Sudan, you have big problem of corruption. You have the Darfur problem. You have the civil war also and on the DRC there is plenty of corruption problems also."

Hubert makes a distinction between fly-by-night operators in several African countries and reputable national carriers in most African countries. He says national carriers in Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, the North African countries and others are reliable and safe. He says international flights to and from Africa are not the problem, as most of the plane crashes and deaths take place during internal flights in Africa by small, dangerous carriers.

The worst aviation disaster all year was the crash of TAM Linhas Aéreas Flight 3054, an Airbus A320 that overan the runway at Congonhas-São Paulo International Airport in Brazil killing 187 on board and 12 on the ground. The disaster was one of just two fatal commercial passenger aircraft accidents that did not either ocur in the third world or involve an aircraft registered there. The other was the crash of UTair Flight 471, a Tupolev Tu-134 which crashed whilst attempting to land at Samara Kurumoch Airport, Russia, killing six of the 57 passengers on board.

Congo saw more fatal commercial air crashes than any other country. Four cargo aircraft and two Let 410 passenger flights suffered fatal crashes. One of these accidents involved an Africa One plane which came down in the capital of Kinshasa, killing many on the ground. Indonesia also had a particularly poor year, with two major disasters. Adam Air Flight 574 crashed near Sulawesi; all 102 on board are missing, presumed dead. Later, Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 shot off the runway at Yogykarta International Airport, killing 22. Indonesia also saw another Adam Air plane in a major nonfatal accident, as Flight 172 snapped in two after a hard landing.

U.S. Senator Dodd bows out of presidential race
United States Senator Christopher Dodd left the Presidential race last night with his head "held high", thanking "the Dodd Squad" and his supporters for their efforts and passion.

Dodd ended the night with the sobering support of just one state delegate's support in the Iowa Democratic caucuses. That was still better than Mike Gravel or Dennis Kucinich, who each received no votes of support. However, neither Gravel or Kucinich conceded, only Dodd and Joe Biden, who won the votes of 23 state delegates, or 1% of the vote.

Dodd's campaign began last year, at the Old State House in Connecticut, the location "where the first written constitution guaranteeing the right to representative government was enacted".

Dodd admitted that he "always knew" that his campaign would "be an uphill battle against very tough odds." But he rationalized that only "when you try can you truly make a difference. And that, my friends, we did."

Selections from his speech...

This evening Democrats sent a clear message that this party is united in our belief that our nation needs change to restore our security, our Middle Class and all that makes this country great.

Our campaign has been about results. And even though tonight we didn't get the result we all were hoping for, this experience has been one of the most rewarding in my life of public service.

It was 47 years ago this month that I was seated with my family on the East Front of the United States Capitol in the bright winter cold and heard President Kennedy ask all Americans to be a part of something larger than ourselves.

It was a moment every American took part in. A moment that changed us as individuals and as a country.

For a generation of us, that moment fueled a hunger to answer the call of our President.

A hunger to make a difference.

...

While we came up short in the race for caucus votes tonight, our campaign has more than kept pace in the race of ideas.

By raising ideas no other Presidential candidate has ever proposed, let there be no doubt that this campaign has set the standard.

When we began this race, every Democrat was for ending the war in Iraq - a war that has made us not more secure, but less so.

But it was only when we stood up and said this President wouldn't get another penny to fight that war that other candidates committed to doing what was necessary to actually end it.

When we began this race, every Democrat—every American—agreed that in America, we should never need a national crisis to bring the country together with national purpose.

But only when we proposed a universal national service plan to create the first generation in history that served our country did the national service debate begin in earnest - to create that renewed sense of community we all want.

And after 7 years of insecurity and watching this President have to go into hiding when he traveled abroad, we were all for stopping this President's assault on the Constitution.

But it was only when I stood up and you stood with me—it was only when tens of thousands of Americans stood together and said we would do whatever it took to stop this President from shredding the rule of law—that we actually did stop him.

And that fight goes on.	...

Dodd recalled advice from his father, imparted nearly forty years ago: "There's no other calling in life where you can do as much for as many people as you can through public service. Lawyers only have so many clients. Doctors only so many patients. But a well-intentioned public servant can make a difference in the lives of millions."

Biden commented "I am not going away. I'm returning to the Senate as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and will continue to ensure that we protect the nation’s security and show our country that Democrats know how to keep America safe, keep our commitment to our troops and restore our country’s respect in the world."

Intel ends partnership with One Laptop Per Child program
Microprocessor company Intel Corporation has quit the board of directors for the One Laptop Per Child association (OLPC), a non-profit organization that aims to provide children in developing countries with inexpensive laptops. An Intel spokesman cited a "philosophical impasse" as the reason for the split.

Intel joined the OLPC board in July 2007, agreeing to give financial and technological support to the project. Development began on a new laptop using an Intel processor rather than the current processor made by Advanced Micro Devices, a rival of Intel. A prototype of this machine was expected to be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Les Vegas, Nevada, which begins in a few days.

According to Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy, OLPC had repeatedly asked Intel to abandon its support for the Classmate PC, a similar laptop designed for children in developing countries, and focus entirely on the OLPC program. "At the end of the day, we decided we couldn't accommodate that request," Mulloy said.

OLPC President Walter Bender said in an interview that Intel's resignation will have "no impact" on the program. "We never really got much going with Intel to have an impact," Bender said. He criticized Intel for a "seemingly half-hearted effort" in developing the new laptops and for using the agreement to make "marketing statements".

British Investigators arrive in Pakistan to join Bhutto investigation
A small team from Britain's Scotland Yard has arrived in the Pakistani capital to help with a government investigation into last week's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Islamabad has more.

Pakistani officials say the Scotland Yard team will lend forensic and technical expertise to the investigation, which is being carried out by the government as controversy swirls around the death of Ms. Bhutto.

Supporters of Ms. Bhutto, along with her family and her political party, the Pakistan People's Party, say the former prime minister was shot and killed by a gunman while leaving a political rally in her car.

Television footage shows a man firing three shots at the back of Ms. Bhutto's head. She slumps down into the car, and then a suicide bomb goes off. Her aides say they saw a bullet wound in her head after the attack.

But the government says she was killed when she ducked the blast of the suicide bomb that followed the gunshots, cracking her skull on the sunroof of her car.

President Pervez Musharraf denied Thursday that a security lapse on the government's part was to blame for the assassination. He blamed Ms. Bhutto for standing in the open and waving to her supporters when she knew there was a danger of an attack.

"Who is to blame for the coming out of the vehicle and standing outside? Who is to blame? The law enforcement agencies?" he asked. "The others were sitting inside and they were secure."

The government says al-Qaida is responsible for Ms. Bhutto's assassination. Her supporters say the government is at least partially responsible, by failing to provide adequate security, while others believe elements within the government carried out the assassination.

Pervez Musharraf says that partly because of the controversy, he decided to bring in Scotland Yard investigators.

"Here is a situation where a leader of her stature has got assassinated and the whole country is in turmoil and it has reverberations all over the world," he said. "Therefore I thought, here is a situation where maybe we need to go beyond ourselves to prove to the world and to prove to our main people here…that we don't mind going to any extent, because nobody's involved on the government side or the agency side. So therefore we went for Scotland Yard."

Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party is demanding a United Nations investigation into her murder, saying that will be the only way to get at the truth.

Egypt lets 2000 pilgrims through Rafah
Egypt has allowed approximately 2000 Palestinian pilgrims through the Rafah Border Crossing, a move which Israel says violates an understanding between its Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt initially denied the pilgrims entrance, insisting that they enter via an Israeli-controlled route, but finally gave clearance after three Palestinians died while being retained in border camps for five days.

Israel soon responded to the move saying that "it is very important for Israel to insist - and stand firm on its right to do so - that the border between Egypt-Sinai and the Strip be closed and that neither terrorists nor weapons get through."

Hamas spokesperson Taher al-Nounou praised the move, saying that the issue was "a Palestinian-Egyptian affair and Israel has nothing to intervene in."

Among the 2000 pilgrims were senior Hamas officials who Israel fears may have smuggled money to the government.

An Egyptian military source said "we didn't like it that they left and we didn't like the way they returned."

The Pilgrims were allowed to leave through the crossing by Israel in late December for the annual Islamic Pilgrimage to Mecca.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis once again delayed
NASA has announced that the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-122, will once again be postponed, this time until late January or early February. The reason behind the delay is believed to be a faulty connector that caused erratic fuel sensor readings during the previous two launch attempts in December.

Space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale gave January 24 as the earliest possible launch date, but stated that February would be a more realistic expectation. "I think it's much more likely that we'll be going to be ready somewhere in the February 2 to 7 time frame, given that we don't have any more findings as we go through our testing," Hale stated.

The initial launch date for the shuttle was December 6, but failed fuel gauges in the external tank forced the launch to be moved to December 9. The fuel sensors are part of a system to prevent the shuttle from running on an empty tank, which could cause pumps in the engine of break and possibly trigger a disastrous explosion.

When the problem reoccurred, NASA ran a fuel test, which led them to believe the problem lied in the faulty connector. The connector was then removed from the tank and taken to Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where it is currently undergoing extensive analysis and modification. The new connector is scheduled to be installed by January 10.

"What we're doing ... is addressing what we think is the most probable cause, and there's a lot of information that points to that connector and that this is the right design fix," deputy space shuttle program manager John Shannon said. "We're fairly confident that if the problem is where we think it is, that this will solve that."

The main objective of mission STS-122 is to deliver the European science laboratory Columbus to the International Space Station.

Study suggests hospitals are not the best place for cardiac arrest treatment
Suffering from cardiac arrest while staying in a hospital might be more deadly than receiving such a fit at a crowded airport, according to a new study.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, states that in about a third of cardiac arrest cases inside hospitals in the United States, doctors and nurses do not respond quickly enough, thus increasing the risk of brain damage and death.

Potentially, this contributes to the deaths of thousands every year. The researchers evaluated records of 6,789 cardiac arrest patients in 369 hospitals. Medical guidelines recommend shocking cardiac arrest victims' hearts back to life within two minutes using defibrillator paddles.

When the defibrillation was delayed, only 22.2 percent of patients survived long enough to be discharged from the hospital, as opposed to 39.3 percent when the shock was given on time. The researchers compared those statistics with more than 50 percent of patients who survive heart attacks while in a crowded airport or a casino, where defibrillators are readily available.

The researchers concluded that delayed defibrillation is common and is associated with lower rates of survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Disgorge bassist Ben Marlin dies from cancer
Ben Marlin, bassist for American brutal death metal band Disgorge, died Wednesday after a lengthy battle with cancer.

San Diego-based Disgorge announced his death in the following statement:

"We are regretful to say that after nearly a year and a half of battling cancer, our brother and bass player Ben Marlin has passed away just about the stroke of 5 a.m. this January 2nd, 2008. We are going to miss him so much and may he live on in all our hearts forever. Ben, thank you for all your years of friendship and brutality."

Upon hearing of Marlin's death Ruud Lemmen of Neurotic Records released the following statement:

"It is with great regret that I've just learned about Ben losing his battle with cancer. Ben was a great friend, and the time he spent in Europe with Disgorge (especially the nights off at my own home) have been nothing but great. Ben was a good guy, a funny fellow and I will never forget him. For one, I can't even imagine how thrilled I was when he took off his own personal, extremely limited Cranial Impalement (early band demo) long-sleeve and threw it my way, saying, 'Hey bro, it's yours.' This is just one of many perfect examples that showed what kind of humble person Ben was. My condolences go out to friends, family and band members."

Today in History
1477 – Burgundian Wars: Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, died at the Battle of Nancy, eventually leading to the partition of Burgundy between France and the House of Habsburg.

1527 – Felix Manz, co-founder of the original Swiss Brethren Anabaptist congregation in Zürich, was executed by drowning, becoming one of the first martyrs of the Radical Reformation.

1968 – The Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček came to power in Czechoslovakia, beginning a political reform known as "Socialism with a human face" that introduced a period of political liberalization that still enabled the Communist Party to maintain real power.

2005 – Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System, was discovered by a team led by Michael E. Brown using images originally taken on October 21, 2003 at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, USA.

January 05 is Twelfth Night (Western Christianity).

Quote of the Day

A dreaded society is not a civilized society. The most progressive and powerful society in the civilized sense, is a society which has recognized its ethos, and come to terms with the past and the present, with religion and science, with modernism and mysticism, with materialism and spirituality; a society free of tension, a society rich in culture. Such a society cannot come with hocus-pocus formulas and with fraud. It has to flow from the depth of a divine search. ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Word of the Day

desecrate v

To profane or violate the sacredness or sanctity of something.

To remove the consecration from someone or something; to deconsecrate.

To inappropriately change.

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