Free Republic

Sec. Clinton may have gotten out of testifying last week because of the concussion she sustained after fainting, but that doesn’t mean she’s in the clear on Benghazi just yet. The Washington Examiner has the details: Republican senators will refuse to confirm Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as Secretary of State until the nation’s current top diplomat, Hillary Clinton, testifies about her handling of the Benghazi terrorist attack. “The Senate is expected to take up Kerry’s nomination in early January, but multiple Republican senators have already said they won’t agree to a vote on Kerry’s nomination until Clinton testifies about the...

By now you’ve heard about the perks that come with working in Silicon Valley. Free lunch, 20 percent time — that’s the work time you can use to pursue independent projects. Well, another perk? A private bus that picks you up in your neighborhood in San Francisco and shuttles you down to your corporate campus about an hour south in the suburbs of Silicon Valley. During rush hour in San Francisco, you see them everywhere, said Eric Rodenbeck, the creative director of Stamen Design in the Mission District of San Francisco. “They’re just so big,” Rodenbeck says. “These buses are...

At 12:54 a.m., on Saturday December 22, President Barack Obama and his family arrived at Kailua, a Hawaiian town on the island of Oahu. Almost five days later, Obama, leaving his wife and kids behind, departed the island to return to Washington, D.C. Obama’s vacation lasted a brief 118 hours, according to pool reports. -snip- On Christmas Eve, December 24, Obama departed his vacation home at 9:33 a.m., according to the pool report. He remained on the golf course until 3:15, p.m., spending about 5 and a half hours on the golf course. He again golfed that day with Bobby...

Arizona's Attorney General has proposed a program to train one person at each school in the state to use a firearm in an effort to minimize the risk of a repetition of the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. Tom Horne introduced a proposal Wednesday that would allow a school principal or designated staff member to have access to a secured firearm on school grounds and receive training in the use of firearms and emergency management. The attorney general said in a press release that at least three Arizona sheriffs have endorsed the proposal and other sheriffs are considering participating in the...

Notre Dame Fans Continue To Trash Alabama With Offensive National Championship T-Shirts Andrew TredinnickDec. 27, 2012, 12:43 PM In the month leading up to Notre Dame's first trip to the national championship game in more than two decades, Irish faithful have created a series of T-shirts bashing their opponent, Alabama. Notre Dame is winning the trash-talking battle with the series of racy shirts, but the last thing Notre Dame needs is to provide a feisty Crimson Tide team and fan base with any source of motivation before the game. Maybe Alabama will take the shirts for their comedic value. Eleven...

Those of us who served in Vietnam have fond memories of the traveling cover bands, usually very good... .. I saw a quote earlier that although we are now old, at least we got to see the great music groups. I'd include these show people who brought fun into our horny lives in Vietnam. Cinammon Stillwell is an accomplished reporter. Her mother made this documentary about the entertainers who visited us wherever we were in Vietnam. It is one of a kind, something that to my knowledge has not been documented before. The film does not have an embed, so...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has denied a request to block part of the federal health care law that requires employee health-care plans to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills. Hobby Lobby Stores and a sister company, Mardel Inc., sued the government, claiming the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its owners.

<p>South African President says pet ownership is part of 'white culture'</p> <p>JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's president says a dog should not be man's best friend.</p> <p>President Jacob Zuma made critical remarks about pet care that touch on sensitive race relations in South Africa, which was dominated by whites until apartheid was dismantled almost two decades ago, The Star newspaper reported Thursday.</p>

Warren Buffett's company has sold two short-line railroads it recently discovered it owned to satisfy regulators who might have reviewed Berkshire Hathaway's 2010 acquisition of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. Berkshire told the Transportation Department's Surface Transportation Board earlier this month that it had completed the sale of both short-line railroads ahead of schedule. If Berkshire had reported owning those railroads when it bought BNSF, the Surface Transportation Board would have had to scrutinize the deal. Berkshire first disclosed owning the railroads to the Surface Transportation Board in September. (snip)

First lady Michelle Obama says she has learned patience by watching her husband and has done "pretty well" at keeping her opinions private. "I have learned from my husband, watching him, that it does require a great deal of patience to really feel the full impact of the work that you do on the ground," she told Barabara Walters in an interview broadcast Wednesday. "It doesn't happen right away." "She has a bigger difficulty biting her tongue," President Obama chimed in. "I think I've done pretty well at that," his wife shot back. "Not bad," he said.

Will be setting up a thread for these two days this week.

there was no grand celebration this month as Silicon Valley marked 25 years of light rail... The near-empty trolleys that often shuttle by at barely faster than jogging speeds serve as a constant reminder that the car is still king in Silicon Valley -- and that the Valley Transportation Authority's trains are among the least successful in the nation by any metric.

Not a new joke by any means, but I haven't seen it done like this...

Here's the link.

We joke about it here in the U.S. that maybe the UK should ban kitchen knives since they can be used to kill someone. It looks like the UK may have taken those jokes a little too seriously because theyÂ’ve been considering banning long, pointed kitchen knives for the past several years. Researchers from West Middlesex University Hospital found that crime in their country was on the rise, and that kitchen knives were used in as many as half of all stabbings.At least theyÂ’re being consistent. They thought guns were dangerous, so they banned guns. Now, theyÂ’re acknowledging that knives...

When Cherie and Brian Lowe of suburban Indianapolis threw a party last spring, 150 well-wishers came bearing casseroles. This was no birthday or anniversary bash. Mr. Lowe, a lawyer, and Ms. Lowe, a stay-at-home mom, both 36 years old, were celebrating an accomplishment: paying off $127,482.30 in debt, mainly student loans. Partygoers came from as far as 200 miles away. Some had never met the Lowes but followed their quest through a blog called Queen of Free. Guests won prizes such as personal-finance books, museum passes and homemade cleaning supplies. One friend sang "Sallie Mae Is Not My Lender" to...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After a review of Iowa law, the Iowa Department of Transportation will cease issuing driver’s licenses to young illegal immigrants eligible to work in this country under an Obama administration deferred prosecution policy. The department has issued at least one driver’s license and one non-operator’s ID since President Obama announced his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Obama changed federal policy in June to let certain illegal immigrants apply for a temporary work permit if they were brought to the country as children. However, after reviewing the memorandum issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on...

The annual rite of the Queen's Christmas address to Britain and the Commonwealth. Pretty good one this year - Liz excelled herself. The band at the start is the paraorchestra - disabled musicians.

ABC News had to wait two weeks to get on air Barbara Walters’ interview with the Obamas -- and then the network’s evening newscast decided to focus on her asking Barack and Michelle Obama about their sex life.

“He is sort of the model figure for who we are,” Griffin said. “He doesn’t stick out loving politics and being passionate about politics. It comes across in everything we do … And that’s Chris.”