School to Students: Have a Very Quran Christmas

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Students in Norway, a nation with a 1,000-year-old Christian heritage, are being treated this year to a very Quran Christmas as educators seek “to create respect and understanding between different religions.”

The report comes from Bruce Bawer, who writes on the Gatestone Institute website that “shoehorning Quran verses into a Christmas event does nothing but cause misunderstanding.”

“The whole thing was pretty bizarre, given that (a) Christmas is not an Islamic holy day, and (b) thanks to such misguided innovations, a whole generation of Norwegian children will grow up thinking ‘that Allah and the Quran have something to do with Christmas.’”

He explains citizens of the Nordic nations are “not big believers these days,” but they do remain devoted to their Christian heritage.

“At least in Norway, which is probably the most culturally conservative of the Nordic lands, confirmation is still a universal rite of passage. Most of the official national holidays are Christian holy days, even if most people could not tell you exactly what Ascensions Day and Pentecost commemorate,” he said. (Read more from “School to Students: Have a Very Quran Christmas” HERE)

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Slap Exercise Lands Navy SEAL Candidate in Coma

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Twin investigations are probing an incident at the Naval Special Warfare training complex in Coronado that left one Navy SEAL candidate in a coma.

Authorities this week said that Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents and members of the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado are reviewing an Oct. 12 mishap that occurred during a study session for the land navigation course of the Basic Under Water Demolition/SEAL training program, or BUD/S.

As an incentive to correctly answer questions, two sailors allegedly agreed to slap whichever one got a response wrong. BUD/S candidates typically challenge each other to perform acts of physical exertion, such as push ups, because striking another student is forbidden.

One of the candidates reportedly reeled from a slap and fell to the floor, striking his head. He was rushed to Naval Medical Center San Diego where surgeons placed him in a medically-induced coma to help heal what SEAL spokesman Lt. Trevor Davids said was an unintentional injury. (Read more from “Slap Exercise Lands Navy SEAL Candidate in Coma” HERE)

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Progress: Trump, Putin Reportedly Agree to Defeat ISIS in Syria

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By Fox News. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement on Saturday vowing to continue the fight against ISIS in Syria until the militants are completely defeated, Reuters reported, citing the Kremlin.

The statement was released after the two leaders chatted briefly during the APEC summit in Danang, Vietnam, Reuters reported, citing the Kremlin.

The statement reportedly said both Washington and Moscow agree that there is no military solution to the conflict and both countries expressed a commitment to Damascus’ sovereignty.

The two leaders chatted on Saturday while they walked to a “family photograph” at the summit and donned matching silk button-down shirts the day before, holding true to the tradition of wearing local attire at annual display of cooperation among world leaders.

The White House and the Trump administration earlier appeared to downplay Trump’s possible meetings with Putin during the summit. (Read more from “Trump, Putin Reportedly Agree to Defeat ISIS in Syria” HERE)

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Trump and Putin on Fighting ISIS

By BBC. US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed to defeat so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria, the Kremlin says.

It said a statement was prepared by experts after they met briefly on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Vietnam on Saturday.

There has been no official confirmation from the US about the statement so far.

The Kremlin say they also agreed there was no military solution to the conflict in Syria.

A meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin was widely expected at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit, but few details have emerged. (Read more from “Trump and Putin on Fighting ISIS” HERE)

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NYC Subways Cut ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ From Announcements

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Riders of New York City’s subways will no longer hear the phrase “ladies and gentlemen” ringing across the PA system before the doors close, reported PIX11.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is opting for a more gender-neutral approach. Bus drivers and subway conductors are reportedly told to use words such as “passengers,” “riders” and “everyone.”

The change is effective immediately, reported the news outlet.

Transit staff was notified of the new policy in a bulletin earlier this week, which is part of the NYC Subway Action Plan to improve communication with its customers. (Read more from “NYC Subways Cut ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ From Announcements” HERE)

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George Takei Accused of Sexually Assaulting Former Model in 1981

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Accuser Scott R. Brunton says he was groped by the ‘Star Trek’ icon at the actor’s Los Angeles condo.
A former model and actor is accusing Star Trek icon George Takei of sexual assault in 1981. The accuser, Scott R. Brunton, who was 23 at the time of the alleged incident, claims that Takei took advantage of him when he was most vulnerable . . .

Brunton says he was living in Hollywood in 1981, working as a waiter and beginning a career as a commercial actor and model when he met a 43- or 44-year-old Takei one evening at Greg’s Blue Dot bar. The men exchanged numbers and would call one another from time to time as well as run into each other at clubs, Brunton says. When Brunton broke up with his then-boyfriend, he spoke with Takei. “He said, ‘Let me know what your new number is’ and I did. And not long after we broke up and I moved out, George called me,” Brunton recalls.

The two men went back to the actor’s condo for a drink the same night. “We have the drink and he asks if I would like another,” Brunton recalls. “And I said sure. So, I have the second one, and then all of a sudden, I begin feeling very disoriented and dizzy, and I thought I was going to pass out. I said I need to sit down and he said sit over here and he had the giant yellow beanbag chair. So I sat down in that and leaned my head back and I must have passed out.”

“The next thing I remember I was coming to and he had my pants down around my ankles and he was groping my crotch and trying to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time, trying to get his hands down my underwear,” Brunton says. “I came to and said, ‘What are you doing?!’ I said, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ He goes, ‘You need to relax. I am just trying to make you comfortable. Get comfortable.’ And I said, ‘No. I don’t want to do this.’ And I pushed him off and he said, ‘OK, fine.’ And I said I am going to go and he said, ‘If you feel you must. You’re in no condition to drive.’ I said, ‘I don’t care I want to go.’ So I managed to get my pants up and compose myself and I was just shocked. I walked out and went to my car until I felt well enough to drive home, and that was that.” (Read more from “George Takei Accused of Sexually Assaulting Former Model in 1981” HERE)

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Black Death Latest: New Country on Alert as Plague Outbreak Threatens to SPREAD

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At least 143 people have died and 2,000 have been infected since the outbreak began in early August.

Nine surrounding African countries were previously told to brace for the disease.

They include South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion.

But now Malawi’s health secretary has confirmed the country is ready for any outbreaks amid concerns over the African nation’s “porous borders”.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Dan Namarika, said Malawi has “cross border teams that interface with our Mozambique counterparts”. (Read more from “Black Death Latest: New Country on Alert as Plague Outbreak Threatens to SPREAD” HERE)

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Melania Trump Visits Military Families in Alaska

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Melania Trump might have been a fashion model at one time in her life, but she had no qualms ripping off a chunk of messy play dough and getting her hands dirty, just like the three preschoolers seated at the table with her Friday at a military base in Alaska . . .

It’s not the heady stuff of the official visit with her husband to Asia but hundreds packed the Arctic Oasis Community Center to get a glimpse of the first lady as she toured programs for children and youth at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. She made a refueling stop at the Anchorage base en route back to Washington, D.C., after spending the last week with President Donald Trump in South Korea and China. The president continued his official visit to Asia.

Trump didn’t make a public speech or address reporters, but did take time to shake hands and talk briefly with parents and military members who flocked to the community center. (Read more from “Melania Trump Visits Military Families in Alaska” HERE)

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Watchdog Group May Have Exaggerated Key Claims in Anti-Trump Lawsuit

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A Washington-based watchdog group that frequently litigates against President Donald Trump may have exaggerated key claims in a high-profile lawsuit alleging that the president is unconstitutionally leveraging the power of his office for profiteering.

National Review Online reports that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) may have misled a federal court in New York with respect to the professional background of three plaintiffs in their lawsuit, CREW vs. Trump.

The plaintiffs’ professions are an essential aspect to the disposition of the case. Before the court rules on the merits of their suit — which alleges that Trump’s commercial entities profit from business with foreign governments, in violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause — it must first establish that the plaintiffs have standing. In order to bring a lawsuit, a plaintiff must first establish that the defendant has inflicted a concrete, tangible, and particularized injury against them.

Here the plaintiffs claim that their economic livelihood has been adversely affected by their inability to compete with Trump’s businesses following his election to the presidency. The plaintiffs claim that they are event planners, hoteliers, and restaurant owners who have lost business in recent months, as prospective costumers flock to Trump properties to curry favor with the administration or secure greater exposure. (Read more from “Watchdog Group May Have Exaggerated Key Claims in Anti-Trump Lawsuit” HERE)

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NFL Abandons National Anthem Protests — Stands to Honor the Troops

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As tensions over the national anthem continue to mount, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett decided to abandon his protests and take a stand before last night’s game.

Bennett has been one of the faces of social justice advocacy in the NFL.

But when the Seahawks played the Arizona cardinals during the Salute For Service game Thursday night, Bennett stood for the Star Spangled Banner. Viewers definitely took notice that the longtime protester actually linked arms with his teammates rather than kneeling during the anthem.

On Wednesday, Bennett had hinted that he might stand for the anthem with Veterans Day coming up this weekend. His father, Bennett Sr, is a Navy veteran and has expressed solidarity with his son’s protest for criminal justice reform. (Read more from “NFL Abandons National Anthem Protests — Stands to Honor the Troops” HERE)

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Mysterious ‘Dinosaur’ Shark Caught

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. . .The animal, which was snagged off the coast of Portugal, is considered a “living fossil” by scientists because the species is thought to have remained largely unchanged … After it was caught, the commercial fishermen reported their strange catch and the creature was transferred to a research vessel where scientists examined it.

According to the fishermen, the beast measured an impressive five feet in length and had been hauled in from a depth of around 2,300 feet. The odd sharks are thought to live at extreme depths, and have been caught as far as 5,150 feet, which is the primary reason humans very rarely encounter them. Old tales of sailors encountering “sea serpents” may have been inspired by the occasional spotting of the animals, but there’s really no way of knowing.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the frilled shark is a pretty frightening creature to see. With a long, snake-like body, it hunts by lunging at its prey and snagging them with its rows of needle-like teeth. (Read more from “Mysterious ‘Dinosaur’ Shark Caught” HERE)

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