Hawaii's Governor Takes On ‘Birthers’  —  HONOLULU — Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who befriended President Obama's parents when they were university students here, has been in office for less than three weeks.  But he is so incensed over the “birthers” — conspiracy theorists who assert …

Phoenix Abuzz as a Palin Buys a Home Nearby  —  PHOENIX — Bristol Palin, the 20-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin, has bought a five-bedroom house in Maricopa, a modest community south of Phoenix, setting off a flurry of speculation as to exactly what her plans — and those of her famous mother — are for the desert dwelling.

Haia men ready to block New Year festivities  —  JEDDAH: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has directed all its branch offices to be on the lookout for any year-end celebration, the director general of the Haia in Makkah province Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi said in a statement to Arab News on Friday.

The Digital Story of the Nativity  —  Via Eneas.

Kamala Harris: Democrats' anti-Palin  —  It's easy to understand why Kamala Harris, California's next attorney general, is being called the future of the Democratic Party, a rising political star in the mold of one of her big supporters — President Barack Obama.

Perry on 2012: ‘A definite no, brother’  —  A governor eyed by some as a 2012 Republican contender for the White House stressed that his focus is on leading the nation's GOP governors and working with new leadership on Capitol Hill to assert states' rights.  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) …

G.O.P. to Open House to Electronic Devices  —  WASHINGTON — The iPad is coming to Capitol Hill.  —  Tucked into new rules proposed by the incoming House Republican majority is one that could fling the chamber — for good or ill — into the 21st century: Members may use an electronic device …

Smiling Dems will soon cry ‘Washington is broken’  —  “Washington, right now, is broken,” said Vice President Biden in February.  “I've never seen it this dysfunctional.”  —  Back then, Biden was just one of many who complained that partisan rancor and gamesmanship had brought the functioning …

Grande Conservative Blogress Diva 2011  —  After extensive consultations with our committee, we have determined that the following blogresses, divas all, are the nominees for the coveted honor of Grande Conservative Blogress Diva 2011, the tiara commonly known as the “Ethel” …

Year in Review: Five Women on Top in Pop Culture … At year's end we've got a rich crop of uppity women — real and imagined — who left their deep prints on popular culture in 2010.  Some are famous, some are obscure.  Some are not widely known by name but known for what they did.

‘We the people’ to open next Congress  —  House to read Constitution  —  The Constitution frequently gets lip service in Congress, but House Republicans next year will make sure it gets a lot more than that - the new rules the incoming majority party proposed this week call for a full reading …

Xmas joy mixed with threats for Mideast Christians  —  BAGHDAD (AFP) - Christians in the Middle East prepared on Friday to celebrate Christmas, some in fear of attacks against their community, as in Iraq, and others in the most discreet way possible, as in Saudi Arabia.