Combat Camera: Defend America for 6 Jan. 2007

A Wyoming Air National Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft prepares to depart from Pueblo Memorial Airport, Colo., on Jan. 3, 2006, after being loaded with hay bales. The hay will be dropped in southeast Colorado to help feed livestock stranded by a snow storm. DoD photo by Senior Master Sgt. John Rohrer, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) and an Iraqi police officer conduct a patrol in Haqlaniyah, Iraq, on Dec. 20, 2006. DoD photo by Cpl. Brian M. Henner, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chance Seidell walks behind a Stryker vehicle during a cordon and knock operation outside of Sadar City, Iraq, on Dec. 24, 2006. Seidell is attached to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. DoD photo by Sgt. Tierney Nowland, U.S. Army. (Released)

U.S. Navy sailors salute the ensign after bringing it to half-staff in honor of Navy veteran and former President Gerald R. Ford aboard the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) in Apra Harbor, Guam, on Jan. 1, 2007. DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Johnson, U.S. Navy. (Released)

U.S. Army soldiers dismount from their Humvee after getting stuck in a mud hole while patrolling through Kirkuk, Iraq, on Dec. 28, 2006. The soldiers are from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Samuel Bendet, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

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Combat Camera: U.S., Afghan Troops Find Weapons

U.S. Army soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division's Special Troops Battalion and U.S. Air Force airmen from the 755th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, all members of Combined Joint Task Force 76, prepare to walk with Afghan National Army soldiers to an enemy weapons cache in Mandikowl, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus J. Quarterman

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Aldridge, of the 10th Mountain Division's Special Troops Battalion, pulls security as his fellow soldiers, Afghan National Army soldiers and U.S. Air Force airmen of the 755th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit move to an enemy weapons cache point on the side of a mountain in Mandikowl, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus J. Quarterman

U.S. Army soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division's Special Troops Battalion climb down mountains to reach an enemy weapons cache point in Mandikowl, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus J. Quarterman

U.S. Army Spc. Josh Lecappelain, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combined Joint Task Force 76, takes pictures of the surrounding area in Mandikowl, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus J. Quarterman

Afghan National Army soldiers and an interpreter from Combined Joint Task Force 76 watch as ANA soldiers, U.S. Army soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division's Special Troops Battalion and U.S. Air Force airmen of the 755th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit move to an enemy weapons cache point on the side of a mountain in Mandikowl, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus J. Quarterman

These munitions were taken from an enemy cache point on the side of a mountain in Mandikowl, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus J. Quarterman

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 4 Jan.

She was for bi-partisanship before she was against it.
After reading: wash, rinse and repeat.

• In a day of pomp and change, Rep. Nancy Pelosi became the nation's first female House speaker on Thursday as Democrats eagerly took control of Congress for the final two years of President Bush's term, reports AP.

• North Korea appears to have made preparations for another nuclear test, according to U.S. defense officials.
  
  

  "We think they've put everything in place to conduct a test without any notice or warning," a senior U.S. defense official told ABC News.

• Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman on Thursday dismissed the chief of the country's nuclear weapons program because of security breakdowns at the Los Alamos, N.M., laboratory and other facilities, according to The Associated Press.

• KTUU issued this global warming alert: Record snowfall buries Anchorage!
  
  It snowed all day in Anchorage Wednesday. A combination of snow, fog and ice contributed to more than 100 cars becoming stuck in ditches and snow berms across the city. The Anchorage Police Department said accidents occurred at a pace of a collision every 10 minutes today. A snow advisory remains in effect and the job of digging out is only beginning.

• Variety reports album sales dropped for a seventh consecutive year, but a dramatic increase in the sale of digital tracks helped keep the music industry afloat in 2006.

• The Associated Press reports the number of death sentences handed out in the United States dropped in 2006 to the lowest level since capital punishment was reinstated 30 years ago, reflecting what some experts say is a growing fear that the criminal justice system will make a tragic and irreversible mistake.

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Combat Camera: Defend America for 4 Jan. 2007

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Leslie Wuerflein, from the 140th Logistics Squadron's vehicle maintenance section, Colorado Air National Guard, loads bales of hay onto a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft at Pueblo Memorial Airport, Colo., Jan. 3, 2007, for an emergency feeding mission to be conducted the following morning. The hay will be dropped near La Junta, Colo., to help feed livestock that have been stranded by a snowstorm that has impacted the area. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. John Rohrer) (Released)

Wyoming Air National Guardsmen push bales of hay out of the back of a C-130 Hercules aircraft during an emergency feeding mission near La Junta, Colo., on Jan. 3, 2007. The hay is being dropped to help feed livestock that have been stranded from a snowstorm that has impacted the area. DoD photo by Senior Master Sgt. John Rohrer, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 3, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Ford's casket will be interned on the museum grounds. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard fire off a cannon during a 21-gun salute honoring former President Gerald R. Ford at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 3, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Ford's casket will be interned on the museum grounds. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr., U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Army Sgt. Munraj Singh, of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, looks out over the village of Dingak, Afghanistan, Jan. 3, 2007, while Soldiers with his unit search for possible enemy observation posts and weapons caches. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel, U.S. Army. (Released)

U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Santolini, of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, interacts with children in Dingak, Afghanistan, Jan. 3, 2007. Soldiers with Santolini's unit are working with locals in the village to gain information on possible enemy activity. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel, U.S. Army. (Released)

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NORAD, NORTHCOM Trace Space Junk to Soviet Rocket

NORAD, NORTHCOM Trace Space Junk to Soviet Rocket
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2007 (AFPS) -- That bright flash that fell from space early today over Wyoming wasn’t a bird, a plane or a superhero, but a Russian SL-4 rocket body reentering the earth’s atmosphere, officials at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command confirmed today. Read it.

NORAD: Rocket body re-entered the atmosphere
KUSA - Beginning at 6:15 Thursday morning 9NEWS was flooded with calls from viewers, many of whom said, “I have just seen the most incredible thing ever in my life.”

Video: Caught On Tape: Russian Rocket Causes 'Meteor Shower'

Video: Spectacular Video of A Meteor

More Video: 'Meteor' was Actually a Re-entering Rocket

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Images: President Ford Honors

Seymour Johnson airmen teamed up to pay tribute to late President Gerald R. Ford. Fourth Fighter Wing graphics personnel designed the special nose art that was painted on an F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft by U.S. Air Force wing's maintenance personnel at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. The nose art was painted on 8 of the 21 F-15E's that will fly over his funeral service in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 3, 2007. DoD photo by Senior Airman Jessica Klingler, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle pilot and weapon systems officer from the 4th Fighter Wing prepare their aircraft for take off at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Jan. 3, 2007. The crew is taking part in a 21 aircraft flyover of late President Gerald R. Ford's funeral in Grand Rapids, Mich. Fourth Fighter Wing graphics personnel designed a special nose art that maintenance personnel painted on the noses of 8 of the Strike Eagles as a special tribute to the late President. DoD photo by SeniorAirman Jessica Klingler, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford during arrival at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 2, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Ford's casket will be transported to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids where it will be in repose overnight for public viewing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Lock) (Released)

The casket of former President Gerald R. Ford is displayed during a memorial and repose ceremony at the Gerald R. Ford Musuem in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 2, 2007. Ford passed away on Dec. 26th and will be in repose over night for public viewing at the museum. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller) (Released)

U.S. Navy Sailors with the Sewells Point detachment of Navy Munitions Command perform a 21-gun salute in honor of former President Gerald R. Ford at Iowa Point on Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Jan. 3, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kiona Mckissack, U.S. Navy. (Released)

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Combat Camera: Soldiers Search for Ordnance

Bosnian and Herzegovinian army explosive ordnance disposal technicians from Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, work together to unearth a cache of 23mm anti-aircraft rounds in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Bosnian and Herzegovinian army explosive ordnance disposal technicians from Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, dig up a cache of 23mm anti-aircraft rounds in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Bosnian and Herzegovinian army explosive ordnance disposal technicians from Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, dig up a cache of 23mm anti-aircraft rounds in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Bosnian army Staff Sgt. Bernad Mukic, an explosive ordnance disposal technician from Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, removes a case of 23mm anti-aircraft rounds from a cache site in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Slovakian army 1st Lt. Jan Adamuska, assigned to the Slovakian army engineering unit, Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, instructs a man to leave the area prior to a controlled detonation in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. Bosnian and Herzegovinian army explosive ordnance disposal technicians were destroying a cache of 23mm anti-aircraft rounds. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

A Latvian army soldier from the maneuver group, Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, waits to start a mission to provide security for Bosnian army explosive ordnance disposal technicians in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Slovakian army 1st Lt. Jan Adamuska, assigned to the Slovakian army engineering unit, Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, instructs a man to leave the area prior to a controlled detonation in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. Bosnian and Herzegovinian army explosive ordnance disposal technicians were destroying a cache of 23mm anti-aircraft rounds. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

A Latvian army soldier from the maneuver group, Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, waits to start a mission to provide security for Bosnian army explosive ordnance disposal technicians in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Slovakian army 1st Lt. Jan Adamuska, left, and Bosnian army Staff Sgt. Semsudin Mazic, both assigned to Multi-National Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Iraq, look for information on a case of ammunition discovered at a cache site near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 3 Jan.

After reading: wash, rinse and repeat.

• On their first day Democrats are shouted down by war protesters. The Washington Business Journal reports House Democrats tried to unveil their lobbying reform package today, but their press conference was drowned out by chants from anti-war activists who want Congress to stop funding the Iraq war before taking on other issues.
  
  Led by Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a slain soldier, the protesters chanted "De-escalate, investigate, troops home now" as Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., began outlining the Democrats' plans to ban lobbyist-funded travel and institute other ethics reforms. The press conference was held in the Cannon House Office Building in an area open to the public.
  
  Fox News has a video of the event here.

• Her name is Ashley X, and she is the little girl who will never grow up.
  
  Until New Year’s Day, not even her first name was known. Ashley was a faceless case study, cited in a paper by two doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital as they outlined a treatment so radical that it brought with it allegations of “eugenics”, of creating a 21st-century Frankenstein’s monster, of maiming a child for the sake of convenience, reports the Times Online.
  
  The reason for the controversy is this: three years ago, when Ashley began to display early signs of puberty, her parents instructed doctors to remove her uterus, appendix and still-forming breasts, then treat her with high doses of oestrogen to stunt her growth.
  
  In other words, Ashley was sterilised and frozen in time, for ever to remain a child. She was only 6.

• AP reports Crocuses are pushing out of the ground in New Jersey. Ice fishing tournaments in Minnesota are being canceled for lack of ice. And golfers are hitting the links in Chicago in January.
  
  However, the under reported story is the fact that Colorado began airlifting hay to marooned cattle and dropping food rations to people Tuesday after a weekend blizzard whipped snow into drifts up to 15 feet deep in the Plains, according to USA Today.

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Images: Official Honors for Former President Ford

Armed Forces body bearers place the casket of Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States, into a VC-25 aircraft during a military departure ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Jan. 2, 2007. Ford's remains will be flown to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., for burial. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher J. Matthews, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford out of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Ford's remains will be flown to Michigan for burial. DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Timothy Chacon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford out of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Ford's remains will be flown to Michigan for burial. DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Timothy Chacon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

President George W. Bush delivers a eulogy during funeral services for former President Gerald R. Ford at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. Following the funeral services in Washington, D.C., Ford's remains will be flown to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., for burial. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

The casket of President Gerald R. Ford lies in place at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. Ford, the 38th president of the United States, passed away on Dec. 26th. Following the funeral service at the cathedral, Ford's remains will be flown to Michigan for burial. DoD photo by Senior Airman Daniel R. DeCook, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford past President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush during Ford's state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford into the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Following the funeral service at the cathedral, Ford's remains will be flown to Michigan for burial. DoD photo by Senior Airman Daniel R. DeCook, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of President Gerald R. Ford past President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Presidents George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and many others at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Following the funeral service at the cathedral, Ford's remains will be flown to Michigan for burial. DoD photo by Senior Airman Daniel R. DeCook, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford into the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Following the funeral service at the cathedral, Ford's remains will be flown to Michigan for burial. DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Timothy Chacon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Armed Forces body bearers carry the casket of former President Gerald R. Ford out of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 2007, en route to the Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral service. Ford's remains will be flown to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., for burial. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, at podium, chaplain from the House of Representatives, gives an invocation during memorial services for former President Gerald R. Ford at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., Dec. 30, 2006. DoD personnel are helping to honor Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who passed away on Dec. 26th. Ford's remains are in Washington, D.C., for a state funeral in the Capitol Rotunda and a funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral, followed by burial services in Michigan. DoD photo by William D. Moss. (Released)

MSNBC VIDEO
Tom Brokaw Eulogizes President Ford

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