Flynn’s most notable works are the 15-novels he authored based on Mitch Rapp, an undercover CIA agent.

When he initially started experiencing severe pain several years ago, doctors suspected he was suffering from a bacterial infection in his prostate. In spite of what he was going through, he still continued to do what he did best: write.

Flynn dedicated “Kill Shot”, his most recent novel, to the doctors treating prostate cancer.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

“I say until we know what we’re doing, until we have a commander and chief who knows what he’s doing, well, let these radical Islamic countries who aren’t even respecting basic human rights, where both sides are slaughtering each other as they scream over an arbitrary red line, “Allah Akbar,” I say until we have someone who knows what they’re doing, I say let Allah sort it out,” Palin said.

Video below (comment of note begins at 7:49)

LionelTiger_ThePulse

Tomorrow, Eddison, an 89-year old great-grandmother in British Columbia, Canada, will receive her high school diploma from the Agassiz Centre for Adult Education.

Also receiving a high school diploma this week is Eddison’s great-granddaughter, 17-year old Sierra Eddison-Lindsay of Colorado.

“My family is so proud of me, it’s almost embarrassing,” Eddison said in an interview with the National Post.

She landed a job with B.C. Telephone, got married and had two children. She enjoyed her jobs – she later worked at the provincial Ministry of Health – but always regretted not finishing high school.

Then, in late 2012, the Agassiz Centre for Education pitched its new High School Seniors program at her retirement home. They asked if anyone was interested.

“I thought: ‘I can do this, I’ve always wanted to,’” she said. “So I very carefully put up my hand. I thought: I can do this, I’ve always wanted to.”

Eddison’s studies took place in a classroom with two other seniors–a fellow octogenarian and a septuagenarian–as well as several teenaged students. Eddison earned grades in the 90s in English and Social Studies, but apparently had some issues with math. Regardless, hard work and diligence led to an 86% in number crunching.  here in the same kind of moment in our life

“It’s crazy that we’re both there in the same kind of moment in our life [and] we get to experience it together,” said  17-year old Eddison-Lindsay, who will be attending the University of Victoria in the fall.

To creatively commemorate the experience, Eddison and Eddison-Lindsay are planning on a photo-op to “mark the generation gap” at the graduation cermony: Each graduate will hold a tablet–one made by Apple, the other made of slate. Both will be clad in cap and gown.

“It will be both of us in cap and gown,” said Ms. Eddison-Lindsay of the planned photo. “On her tablet in chalk will be ‘Grad 2013′ and then on my iPad with digital letters will be ‘Grad 2013′ as well.”

With files from the National Post.

From Taylor Swift to PSY, and Demi Levato to Phillip Phillips, the MuchMusic Video Awards ceremony in downtown Toronto was the place to be last night for the world’s music superstars.

At the 2013 MMVAs, thousands of fans crowded the iconic corner of Queen and John to celebrate the past year of Top 40 music.

Degrassi star-turned rapper Drake returned to his hometown in a surprise appearance last night to accept awards for Hip Hop Video of the Year and Director of the Year, tying the two awards received by Canadian rock group Marianas Trench, which one for Pop Video of the Year and Fan Choice Video.

South Korean rapper PSY–who was unknown in North America until Gangnam Style went viral last year, co-hosted the evening’s festivities, which included performances and presentations by artists like Demi Lovato, Avril Lavigne, Brittany Snow and Serena Ryder. Taylor Swift also made an appearance to accept her award for International Artist of the Year.

“Another year, another fabulous street party! Tonight’s show was such an amazing celebration of homegrown and international talent…with some added surprises and performances for good measure,” said Sheila Sullivan, Executive Producer, 2013 MUCHMUSIC VIDEO AWARDS. “From Drake, PSY, Taylor, and Avril to Demi, Armin van Buuren, and Marianas Trench, we’re excited that the magic of the MMVAs once again got our fans up close and personal with their heroes.”

WINNERS:

YOUR FAVE Video
Marianas Trench – “Stutter”

YOUR FAVE Artist or Group
Justin Bieber

YOUR FAVE International Artist or Group
Taylor Swift

Video Of The Year
Classified f. David Myles – “Inner Ninja”

International Video of the Year – Artist
Demi Lovato – “Heart Attack”

International Video of the Year – Group
Macklemore And Ryan Lewis f. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”

Pop Video of the Year
Marianas Trench – “Desperate Measures”

Dance Video of the Year
deadmau5 f. Chris James – “The Veldt”

Hip Hop Video of the Year
Drake – “Started From The Bottom”

Rock/Alternative Video of the Year
Serena Ryder – “Stompa”

International Video of the Year by a Canadian
Avril Lavigne – “Here’s to Never Growing Up”

Director of the Year
Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
Director X

Post-Production of the Year
Billy Talent – “Surprise Surprise”

MuchFACT Video of the Year
Classified f. David Myles – “Inner Ninja”

Viral Video of the Year
PSY – “Gangnam Style”

The Calgary Board of Education will soon act to protect children from their own feelings. No longer will B-students have to shroud their papers in shame, concealing their “just OK” reports from Grade 3 classroom elites. No, by September 2014 those wounding B’s will be replaced with the much softer-sounding “evident” — whatever that means — because kids are apparently not smart enough to equate a four-point letter grade system with a four-point word system.

The Calgary Board of Education is moving to save children from failure. Under a proposed new marking scheme, the board is to relabel such students as “support required.” If they improve, their skills will be upgraded to “emerging.’’The Calgary board is doing away with letter-grade assessments for children between Kindergarten and Grade 9, and is also eliminating personalized comments. On a draft of the new report card protocol, traditional letter grades and percentages have been replaced with a four-point system: “exemplary,” “evident,” “emerging” or, “support required.”

School official hope the assessments will offer additional precision, but critics don’t buy it.

According to the Calgary Board of Education, replacing traditional letter grades with the words “exemplary,” “evident,” “emerging,” or “support required,” will facilitate better communication between teachers and parents. “If you know as a parent that your child has received 82%,” said Ronna Mosher, the board’s education director, “it’s very difficult to know what to do to help them.” The bizarre implication is that parents long-familiar with percentage and letter-based grading systems will be able to glean more information from the words “evident” or “emerging” as their child’s math score.

Read the full column here.

There are certain changes an organization can make to which someone can only wonder what the point is. The founding fathers have been hailed as heroes for their efforts to build the republic that is the United States since the 18th century. The fact is, all of the founders were men.

While it doesn’t surprise me that a fringe group of feminists may want to erase the masculinity of America’s founders for some reason that I can only surmise has something to do with the Grand Patriarchal Conspiracy™, why the White House would go out of its way to cave in to such about an issue that bothers less than zero percent of the population escapes me.

The original post from WhiteHouse.gov is available here.

This is to say, of course, that he supports maintaining Canada’s lawless abortion free-for-all, but also supports our lack of support for it. See what he did there?

Claiming to be “personally pro-life” is to say nothing at all at best, and to display enormous hypocrisy at worst. Being “personally pro-life” is actually worse than the position of most radical abortion supporters—they at least generally deny the humanity of the pre-born, however obliviously. To be “personally pro-life” is to recognize that we are, indeed, talking about a human life—and that the opposing position supports the brutal extinguishing of that life. It’s like saying you’re personally opposed to slavery, but don’t support having a debate that might infringe on the “rights” of slave-holders to own human beings as property. (After all, slave-holders vote.)

The bottom line is that there is no such thing as “personally pro-life.” It’s a cleverly invented copout that hides more than it reveals, sort of like the term “pro-choice.” And when a politician claims that title, it simply means he’s going to give the abortion crowd what they want while using terms pro-lifers invented, and hoping we’ll be grateful for the semantic nod.

Mr. Dykstra, it seems, did have pro-life principles at one point. In 2006, he affirmed that he recognizes that life begins at conception, and also indicated that he would support measures to protect human life in the womb. Unfortunately, he seems to have noticed what so many in Ottawa do—that the corridors leading to the halls of power have many conveniently placed drop-off boxes in which to place previously held principles and morals on your way to the top. Principles are handy election props, but they really don’t match the décor. Besides, what are a few dead babies compared to a potential cabinet position?

The literature currently being distributed in Mr. Dykstra’s St. Catharine’s riding has been called extreme. No argument there. When someone’s position is extreme, the visual depiction of that position is going to look pretty extreme as well. Dismembered baby corpses are very difficult to look at, but unfortunately, Mr. Dykstra doesn’t seem to have too difficult a time supporting the status quo that ensures this unmitigated barbarism. He claims to personally oppose abortion, while personally voting to ensure that it continues.

When the great British parliamentarian William Wilberforce presented evidence to the House on the evils of slavery, he noted that, “Having seen all of this, you can choose to turn away. But you can never again say that you did not know.” Actions have consequences. We’re showing you the consequences of Mr. Dykstra’s.

Republished with permission from UnmaskingChoice.ca.

That was the question posed by television and radio personality Glenn Beck in a unique and emotional monologue delivered on his self-titled show on The Blaze T.V. (VIDEO BELOW)

In the video, Beck delivered a speechless monologue using hand-written statements on dozens of flashcards; his eyes teary for much of it.

In the monologue, Beck reveals that his vocal chords are temporary paralyzed, rendering him in a state he is no doubt unfamiliar with: speechless.

Beck’s condition, which doctors tell him will “come and go”, but is repairable, inspired a somber and reflective monologue that also featured thoughts on politics in America as Beck sees it.

His words resonated with me, as, in a way, I was once left without words.

Though I have never experienced the vocal paralysis that Beck is undergoing, I did have occasional episodes of aphasia as the result of a crippling stroke I experienced in 2009.

At one point, I sat in the office of the speech language therapist at the hospital in which I was undergoing rehabilitation treatment. On the table before me she had laid a variety of knick-knacks. One-by-one, she asked me to tell me what they were called.

“String,” I said, as she pointed to a long, winding object.

“Pencil,” I told her, recognizing the narrow, orange hexagon with its pink tip on one end and grey point on the other.

When I saw the straight, plastic item with bristles at one end, I froze. I knew in my mind what it was and what it was used for; I’m sure I pointed to my mouth in an effort to explain how it worked. But in spite of knowing what this thing that I had used twice a day daily for much of my life was, I could not, no matter how much I wanted to, utter the word “toothbrush.”

Over the next few months, sometimes I would be at a loss for a very specific word; other times I would find myself unable to formulate a very real thought into language that I could share with others. The only thing more frustrating than knowing that I couldn’t express myself was the fear that I might never be able to as I once had.

I thank God for returning to me the gift of speech.

When attempting to translate mental chatter to language without ease, I would point and gesticulate or attempt to describe the thing in question. This only confused people more. As they tried to guess my thoughts, I would get even more frustrated. Then depressed.

There are no doubt going to be a number of individuals who believe that biology silencing Glenn Beck–even if only temporarily–is some sort of gift to the world.

I am not one of them.

Regardless of one’s political opinions, I could not imagine–nor do I ever want to–the feeling of looking at your wife or children, unable to say “I love you.” Unable to ask, “How was your day.” Unable to say so much as “Hello.”

My prayers go out to Glenn Beck, and anyone else who suffers from an inability to speak, or communicate.

In many ways, one’s ability to speak is one’s ability to share love. For what is such a feeling if kept to one’s self.