President Obama's daughters Sasha And Malia Obama reportedly have received thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts from foreign diplomats. The girls don’t get to keep the gifts.

Another bone being thrown to the lame stream media, or something else? Sarah Palin has hired Republican strategist Michael Glassner to serve as Chief Of Staff for her political action committee, Sarah PAC, according to CNN. Problem with Glassner is that he’s a former Bob Dole AND John McCain adviser, which certainly doesn’t impress me.

While U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said he supports the Patriot Act, he said on Wednesday there is a “very delicate balance between pursuing sufficiently national security and personal security and too much government.” The House on Tuesday voted down an extension of surveillance provisions to the Patriot Act, 277-148. The measure has been backed by most Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., but was seven votes short of passing by a two-thirds majority. Twenty-six Republicans voted against the bill.
The legislation would have extended provisions set to expire on Feb. 8, including roving wiretaps, access to FBI records and surveillance of “lone wolf” terror suspects. The Patriot Act is post-9/11 legislation passed by Congress because of concerns about terrorist attacks on the United States. Nelson said it is important to continue to have the safeguards provided by the Patriot Act, but the sticking point has always been how far the Patriot Act should intrude into people’s privacy.

“There are different flash points for different people on what is intrusive and what isn’t,” he said.

For example, Nelson said the government’s decision to have body-scan imaging machines at U.S. airports or in federal buildings may not trouble some people, but many people have expressed outrage about that procedure, especially when learning that some of those images have been illegally distributed.

Source : Theindependent.

Cigarette smoke does not take too long to get into one’s bloodstream. Once in the blood, the toxins in cigarette smoke directly change the structure so that it becomes stickier to one another. Obama said not a heavy smoker who had smoked every day. Yet U.S. President was aware of his bad habits must be stopped. Through determination and family support, the president is already 9 months to quit smoking.
“I have not seen and witnessed no evidence of smoking within nine months,” said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said when asked by reporters about how Obama has bid to quit smoking as reported by politicsdaily.com.
Heavy smokers or who only occasionally smokes are equally in danger. Research shows negative effects of smoking can occur more quickly than expected, so that a cigarette is enough to trigger heart attacks.

Gibbs said Obama had struggled to quit smoking. “It (smoking) was not something he’s proud of. He knows it is not good for him. He knew he did not like about it,” Gibbs said.

“I think he has been working (trying to quit smoking) with a bang. He has struggled against that habit,” said Gibbs.

The media called Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes We Can ‘suitable enough for his determination to quit smoking. Obama’s smoking habit was under the spotlight when he advanced in the U.S. presidential election 2009. Before elected U.S. President, Obama has been determined to quit smoking.

When Obama’s campaign acknowledged the bad habit of smoking as a teenager. Some photographs are smoking Obama also had a month-monthly campaign of political opponents.

However, Obama said he was not a smoker every day. “I was never a heavy smoker. I’ve quit periodically over the last few years due to strong demand from wives and replacing them with chewing Nicolette (gum),” Obama told the Chicago Tribune during the presidential campaign this time.

At that time, Obama said his wife Michelle has given the spirit and encouraged her to get out of the vicious circle of smoking for health reasons.

In the presidential medical examination in March 2010, Obama declared healthy and continue to struggle to quit smoking. Since the medical examination was announced, the occupant of the White House also never again sees Obama smoking.

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Saviour God wants us to live. The Apostle Paul, The Message. National Prayer Breakfast

The National Prayer Breakfast (NPB) is an established annual event which brings people together to pray for the institutions, government and people of the United Kingdom.

The main part of the Breakfast comprises a full morning of events, including:

* sessions of prayer
* the Breakfast event
* seminars on current political issues

The NPB is organised by a cross-party Steering Committee of Peers and MPs under the auspices of Christians in Parliament and is hosted in Parliament with the kind permission of the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords.

Both Julian Assange and his website, WikiLeaks, have been nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.  A member of the Norwegian Nobel committee says the site promotes human rights, democracy and freedom of speech.