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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.

A man who threatened to skin and burn his mother alive and snapped her kitten's neck with his hands poses too great a risk to be released on bail, a judge said Tuesday.

Provincial court judge Chris Cleaveley denied bail for Michael Mercredi, who was arrested at his mother's house at Spences Bridge, about 132 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, on Nov. 29.

Mercredi is charged with uttering threats, although prosecutor Joel Gold told the court the Crown will also soon press animal-cruelty charges in relation to the killing of the kitten.

The court was told Mercredi's mother and two younger brothers have lived in fear of him for months.

Mercredi has threatened his family many times, the judge was told. Most recently, he threatened to skin his mother, burn her and throw her off the bridge if she did anything to threaten his freedom. He also said he would burn down their house, regardless of whether they were in it or not.

The RCMP was called by the Cook's Ferry band, which told officers they had a growing problem with a non-band member. Mercredi is a member of the Kamloops Indian Band.

When interviewed by police, the mother said she sometimes slept in her car with her youngest son because she was afraid to be in the house with Mercredi.

She described how he killed the family's kitten. He broke its neck with his hands after warning it not to scratch him, Gold told the judge. His brothers saw the killing and watched him leave the house to dispose of the body in an empty lot across the street.

The mother also told police her son killed an adult cat several days earlier, by strangling it and smashing its head against a wall, the judge was told.

Mercredi suffers mental instability, his family indicated to the police, but also uses drugs, the Crown lawyer noted.

"She wants him to get help," Gold said.

Defence lawyer Rob Bruneau, acting as duty counsel for the man, said Mercredi denies he killed the kitten. He also denies he is a risk to the public, saying his problems relate only to his family.

But Cleaveley said Mercredi poses too great a risk to his family to be released.

"He is a young man abusing drugs and alcohol, his life is really out of control," said the judge.

"He's a man who must be detained for the safety of his immediate family. He is out of control right now and poses a substantial risk to his family."
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Read more: http://www.canada.com

Dr. Charlie Teo, an Australian surgeon, auctioned off the opportunity to watch him operate on cancer patients. The idea met with strong disapproval from a fellow doctor. But Teo defends the practice.

Two alleged narcotics traffickers aligned with a right-wing paramilitary terrorist organization in Colombia have been convicted of conspiring to import multi-ton quantities of cocaine into the United States.

Christian Fernando Borda and Alvaro Alvaran-Velez were extradited from Colombia a year ago and were convicted by a federal jury Thursday.

The Justice Department said Borda led an organization that obtained cocaine from paramilitary groups and smuggled in more than 1,500 tons in drums of palm oil from Colombia in 2005, with additional shipments in 2005 and 2006. The department said Alvaran-Velez, an associate of Borda, facilitated cocaine shipments.

They were allied with Autodefenses Unidas de Colombia, an umbrella group for far-right paramilitary groups that has been designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/09/colombians-convicted-cocaine-smuggling-plot/#ixzz1CQSRV2p5

The young boy's music teacher witnessed the gun fall out of his pocket during class. Investigators say the gun was loaded, but no rounds were in the chamber.

In keeping with tradition, the Kardashians have unveiled this year’s family holiday photo. The Kardashians have done other pictures like this in the past, but this photo is getting criticism for being too glamorous and lacking holiday spirit.
Khloe Kardashian is thrilled with her family's Christmas card and can't believe how cute her nephew looks in the family portrait. The 26-year-old socialite has joined her famous sisters and the rest of her relatives for their annual festive photo and insists 12-month-old Mason, her sibling Kourtney's son with her boyfriend Scott Disick, looks like a "little gentleman" in his suit.

Think you know everything about the holidays? Test your knowledge on movies, music and more of the season.

Popular Christmas songs
1. What holiday song has sold the most copies (in single and album form) since 1940?

‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’
2. In the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," how many lords a-leaping are there?

Santa’s reindeers
3. Which of Santa's nine reindeer shares his name with a former presidential candidate?

‘A Christmas Carol’
4. Name the four ghosts in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

‘Frosty the Snowman’
5. In the original version of the song "Frosty the Snowman," recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950, what was Frosty's nose made of?

‘It's a Wonderful Life’
6. In the 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life," what is the name of the character played by James Stewart, and what town does he live in?

Eggnog drink recipes
7. According to the International Bartenders Association, what should be mixed with eggnog?

Santa’s flight on Christmas Eve
8. Taking into account time-zone changes, how many hours does Santa Claus have to deliver his gifts all the way around the world?

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
9. In Dr. Seuss' 1957 children's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," where does the Grinch live?

The Nutcracker ballet
10. In Peter Tchaikovsky's fantasy-ballet "The Nutcracker," the heroine Clara helps the Nutcracker by throwing what at the Mouse King?

Santa Claus
11. There are two towns in the United States named Santa Claus. Where are they?

Hanukkah toys
12. In the popular song "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel," what is the namesake four-sided Hanukkah toy made of?

‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’
13. What happens between God and sinners in "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"?

Grandma and reindeers
14. Under what circumstances did Grandma get run over by a reindeer?

‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’
15. In "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," the singers declare, "We won't go until we get some." Some what?

‘Here Comes Santa Claus’
16. Fill in the blank in this lyric from "Here Comes Santa Claus": "Hang your stockings and....'cause Santa Claus comes tonight."

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'
17. How was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer originated?

Pop Christmas songs
18. Fill in the blank: "Santa baby, slip a ________ under the tree for me."

‘Silent Night’
19. In the second verse of "Silent Night," what do the heavenly hosts sing?

Traditional Christmas songs
20. What did the little lamb say to the shepherd boy in a 1962 Christmas favorite?

Elizabeth Edwards died of breast cancer on Tuesday. News of her death came a day after it was announced that she had ended treatment on her doctors' advice. We take a look back at her life, her family and her battle against the illness.

Her last days
Edwards' family gathered around her at the family's Chatham County, N.C., home. Her estranged husband, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, reportedly moved back in to help care for Elizabeth and their two young children.

Her daily life
In recent years, Elizabeth Edwards tried to live a normal life. She became a businesswoman, opening a store in Chapel Hill. She also took children Jack and Emma Claire on family outings.

How they met
Elizabeth Anania met John Edwards while they were both law students. They married right after graduation.

Her cancer battle begins
In 2004, John Kerry conceded defeat in the race for president against George W. Bush; John Edwards was Kerry's running mate. Elizabeth Edwards, meanwhile, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Their children
Elizabeth and John Edwards are the parents of four children. Wade Edwards died in 1996, while he was still a high school student. How old was Elizabeth Edwards when she had Emma Claire?

First cancer fight
She began treatment soon after the presidential election was settled, though she reportedly was in constant pain. What else did she say in her 2006 memoir about being injected with anti-cancer drugs?

John Edwards' presidential campaign
Elizabeth Edwards had appeared the supportive wife during her husband's vice-presidential bid, and she took a similar role in his 2008 presidential campaign. She was also considered one of his closest advisors.

John Edwards' affair
John Edwards reportedly admitted his affair with Rielle Hunter to his wife not long after he announced his presidential bid Why did she reportedly counsel him to quit the race? Here's how reports of the affair surfaced.

Campaign and cancer
In March 2007, John and Elizabeth announced that her cancer had returned but that his campaign for the presidency would continue.

Not unlike the alignment of the stars on the day you were born and where you went to kindergarten, your favorite Christmas cartoon special can say a lot about you. Santa or Grinch, Cindy Lou Who or Lucy--who you like defines your personality in some ways. Forget about Carl Jung and his personality test. What you'll learn from us is far more valuable. Happy holidays!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Frosty the Snowman (1969)

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1970)

The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Shrek the Halls (2007)