Free Republic

Hollywood (also known as, Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film) is a 1980 documentary series produced by Thames Television which explored the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture. The series consists of thirteen fifty-minute episodes, with each episode dealing with a specific aspect of Hollywood history. The actor James Mason, an enthusiast of the period, supplied the narration; a lilting score was contributed by Carl Davis. Technical quality was an important aspect of the production. Silent films had often been screened on television from poor-quality copies running at an inaccurate speed,...

Severe weather in the form of tornadoes is not something people expect on Christmas week but a storm system on Dec. 23 brought tornadoes to Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana. As the storm moved, NASA’s RapidScat captured data on winds while NOAA’s GOES satellite tracked the movement of the system. NASA’s RapidScat instrument flies aboard the International Space Station and captured a look at some of the high winds from the storms that brought severe weather to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Dec. 23. In addition, an animation of images from NOAA’s GOES-East satellite showed the movement of those storms and...

A makeshift memorial to Michael Brown has been restored by his supporters, after it was apparently hit by a car. Social media reports about damage to the memorial started early Friday. Supporters were out before dawn rebuilding the memorial. …

Car nerds, you just got an extra present under the tree. Tesla announced Friday an upgrade for its Roadster, the electric car company’s convertible model, and said that the new features significantly boost its range -- beyond what many traditional cars can get on a tank of gasoline. The company is installing three retrofits for the vehicle. First up is a battery upgrade that marks a 31 percent increase in capacity. Next is an “aero kit” that’ll alter the car’s profile slightly, producing a 15 percent reduction in wind drag. Finally, the Roadster will be getting new, more efficient tires....

There have been more than 500 magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes in Oklahoma this year, up significantly from 109 in 2013 and just 35 in 2012, according to U.S. Geological Survey officials. As of Monday, there were 549 of the higher magnitude quakes in 2014, with 19 being magnitude 4.0 or greater. USGS officials focused on magnitude 3.0 or greater quakes because the smaller the magnitude, the more potential there is for missing an event, USGS Geophysicist Robert Williams said. The USGS is looking into the increase in earthquakes, mostly occurring in central and north-central Oklahoma, he said. “Starting probably...

Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby have long rallied for U.S. Peace Corps members to have abortion coverage footed by federal tax funding. According to The Hill, efforts by Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) have granted their wish through the Appropriations bill: Though it was best known for preventing a government shutdown, the Appropriations bill also contained provisions that will ensure for the first time that Peace Corps volunteers have access to abortion in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the woman. Planned Parenthood has also lavished Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) with kudos for his...

Researchers could be closing in on a "fountain of youth" drug that can delay the effects of aging and improve the health of older adults, a new study suggests. Seniors received a significant boost to their immune systems when given a drug that targets a genetic signaling pathway linked to aging and immune function, researchers with the drug maker Novartis report. The experimental medication, a version of the drug rapamycin, improved the seniors' immune response to a flu vaccine by 20 percent, researchers said in the current issue of Science Translational Medicine. The study is a "watershed" moment for research...

The North Carolina Attorney General will appeal a federal appeals court’s ruling striking down a North Carolina law allowing women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion is done. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit struck down a North Carolina law requiring a 24-hour waiting period and informed consent of a woman before an abortion is performed. In January 2013, a district court imposed a temporary injunction on the law, claiming that its mandated disclosures about abortion are an unconstitutional imposition of “the state’s philosophic and social position discouraging abortion,” rather...

<p>1. John Wayne on Clark Gable: “Gable’s an idiot. You know why he’s an actor? It’s the only thing he’s smart enough to do.”</p> <p>2. Tallulah Bankhead on Bette Davis: “Don’t think I don’t know who’s been spreading gossip about me. After all the nice things I’ve said about that hag. When I get hold of her, I’ll tear out every hair of her mustache!”</p>

1944 in Review

Here’s a question: how can you tell when you are reading “news” from the Huffington Post? Answer: When both views on a highly controversial topic are NOT given…meaning, only the liberal view. Case in point: An article Samantha Lachman at the Huffington Post wrote on Monday about the Federal appeals court declaring a North Carolina law requiring abortion providers to show a woman the ultrasound and describing the images in detail before going through an abortion as unconstitutional. The Huffington Post decided to quote only abortion advocates like Planned Parenthood and The Center for Reproductive Rights. From the Huffington Post:...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. There is no telling where it will go and... that...

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. —An Ashland woman accused of walking onto the Framingham Police Department and throwing sausage and bacon says God told her to go "feed the pigs." Lindsay McNamara represented herself in court Friday after being arrested earlier in the day. "Somebody's out to get me," she said in court. "I don't know who it is, but somebody is out to get me." McNamara, 24, is now charged with disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property after the incident Friday morning.

   ***** ~ Tunes For Our Troops ~ *****~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster l...

It stands to reason that if abortion is viewed as morally and legally correct, other immoral acts will become socially acceptable as well. Now, according to a judge in Australia, incest is one of those acts. During the trial of a brother charged with raping his younger sister, Judge Garry Neilson said that incest may no longer be morally unacceptable because the only reason it is criminal is due to the potential for abnormalities in any conceived children. Neilson said that thanks to contraception and abortion, there is no longer that risk. The man on trial had raped his sister...

In Tell it to the Reverend Al, the New York Post says Rev. Sharpton still owes New York State $916,000 from tax liens filed against him between 2008 and 2010. In all, Mr. Sharpton is said to have $4.5 million of tax liens. He claims he paid them, but state officials say otherwise. This isn’t the first time his records do not line up. Indeed, on two prior occasions he suffered inconvenient fires that destroyed records.

New Year’s Day will usher in hundreds of new laws in California, including a landmark law that allows undocumented individuals to receive a driver’s license. In all, California will add 930 new laws, most of which will go into effect Thursday. Some of the most talked-about laws won’t take effect until July, such as a statewide ban on plastic bags, required sick leave for employees and a requirement that new smartphones come with antitheft technology.

Space diving is the next big step beyond sky diving, and it is envisioned as a concept that would allow spaceflight participants a means of escape from a possibly disastrous on-orbit emergency, or perhaps just a new recreational activity for those no longer satisfied with merely jumping out of aircraft. The RL MARK VI would allow high-altitude jumps from near-space, suborbital space, and eventually low Earth orbit itself. [See VIDEO]

**SNIP** That New Year’s Eve an interview with expedition leader Chris Turney was beamed live to Times Square in New York. Two days later, the rescue effort entered a new phase. With no icebreaker able to smash way through, a Chinese helicopter, Xue Ying, or “Snow Eagle”, rose into the air for the first of five flights to ferry passengers from the stricken ship to the Aurora Australis. A core crew remained behind to sail vessel home once conditions allowed. Media interest in the expedition faded after the rescue, but in the year since Turney and his team have been...

ISIS has been actively recruiting Ferguson criminals, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. With tweets that say “Hey blacks, ISIS will save you” and references to Malcolm X and slavery, ISIS was reaching out to criminals during the protests and riots after Michael Brown’s death. U.S. Attorney Steve Wigginton told KSDK that the federal government has received “intelligence reports for law enforcement showing actual tweets ISIS was putting out encouraging Americans to join the people who were burning down buildings in Ferguson to engage that kind of conduct across America.” …