Free Republic

A dominant Fox is set to be crowned the winner of the 2007-08 television season, one that the broadcast biz -- and perhaps even Fox -- would just as soon forget. The writers strike, along with the rising popularity of DVRs and the increased availability of programming on multiple platforms, conspired to make this season the lowest-rated on record for the broadcasters. There was also a dearth of breakout hits, with no new show emerging as the biz's savior. Of course, the broadcasters have been losing audience share to cable for years -- but this season saw the most troubling...

Washington - Today, the Club for Growth released its 2007 annual scorecard, awarding the Defender of Economic Freedom award to six senators and forty-nine representatives who scored a 90 or above on the Club's scorecard.... "These top-scoring members of Congress are staunch defenders of American taxpayers," said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. "Their votes are critical to lowering taxes, cutting wasteful spending, and promoting economic growth for all Americans. The Club for Growth scorecard allows taxpayers to see how their senators and representatives are performing in Congress and find out who is truly fighting for pro-growth, limited-government policies...." The...

The American State Department released its yearly Country Reports on Terrorism. The National Counterterrorism Center reported more than fourteen thousand attacks around the world last year. The number was about the same as the year before. But deaths increased almost nine percent, to more than twenty-two thousand last year. The report said well over fifty percent of those killed or injured were Muslims, and most were victims of attacks in Iraq. In Iraq, the number of attacks fell but the number of people killed, injured or kidnapped increased. In Afghanistan, both numbers were higher. A wounded man is helped after...

In 2007, "remittances," money sent back by Mexican workers to families in Mexico, beat out tourism as the second largest source of foreign money into the country. Only oil exports accounted for more. That is $24 billion that was taken out of the American economy. It was not spent in American stores. Best Buy sold fewer televisions. Ford sold fewer cars and trucks. Winn Dixie and Safeway sold fewer groceries. U.S. Steel sold less steel. And yes, even Exxon/Mobil sold less gasoline than it could have. Those fewer sales curtailed the growth of jobs for Americans in those companies. It...

WASHINGTON - The federal tax bill for President Bush and his wife: $221,635. That's how much the Bushes owed on their adjusted gross income of $923,807 for the year 2007, according to a joint return released Friday. The Bushes have paid $203,894 so far, which means they'll need to break out the checkbook — they owe the government $17,741. Their income total includes a $150,000 advance received by Laura Bush for the children's book she co-authored with her daughter, Jenna. Last year, the president and Mrs. Bush paid $186,378 in federal taxes on their income of $765,801. Bush's salary as...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Clinton report nearly $109.2 million in income for seven years in newly released tax data. The Democratic presidential candidate and her husband paid $33.8 million in taxes from 2000 through 2007. They listed $10.25 million in charitable contributions during that period. Clinton has been under pressure to release her tax returns, especially from rival Barack Obama, who posted his 2000 to 2006 returns on his campaign Web site last week. Neither Obama nor Republican Sen. John McCain have made their 2007 tax returns public, though both say they will this...

Aaron Tonken was a grand jury witness in New York when an investigation was conducted of Bill Clinton's last-minute pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. Tonken is currently incarcerated, but he remains a defendant and perhaps star witness in Paul v Clinton. I don't know what he told the grand jury, but I hope we can someday find out. Today, I discussed with a source, who has knowledge of the grand jury and had done work with Denise Rich, the Clinton claim of $109 million income in the 2000-07 tax returns they just released. It evoked big laughter. My source...

The US were #5 in 2007 - #3 in 2008 ???

WASHINGTON (BP)--Oregon recorded more deaths by physician-assisted suicide in 2007 than in any year in the decade since the practice was legalized. The Oregon Department of Human Services recently reported 49 people committed suicide last year using lethal doses of drugs prescribed by doctors. The previous yearly high was 46 in 2006. Oregon, the only state to legalize assisted suicide, has recorded 341 such deaths since its Death With Dignity Act took effect in late 1997. "The report shows that the situation in Oregon is not only creepy but creeping," bioethicist C. Ben Mitchell told Baptist Press. "Compassion means providing...

More than 20 years of data is in – and the conventional wisdom is wrong. The chances a Hollywood movie will win big at the box office are greatly enhanced by a family-friendly rating and strong moral content, defying the notion the entertainment industry is merely serving up what consumers want when they produce so many R-rated movies full of foul language, sex, drugs and immorality, shows a new study by the Christian Film and Television Commission, publishers of Movieguide. According to the study, G-rated movies averaged nearly $92.2 million, more than 438 percent better than R-rated movies, making only...

http://www.youtube.com/ytawards07 You can vote on the best videos. The famous "Dont Tase Me Bro" video is listed under the category "Eyewitness", and the video is named "University of Florida student Tasered at Kerry forum" Select a Category... ...and watch the nominees. Then click on the box next to your favorite video OR hit "Vote For This Video." You may not change your vote on the same day, but you can vote again the next day for any video you like. Voting continues through March 19, 2008.

WASHINGTON – While China continues to promise to impose higher safety standards on exports, a WND study shows two of every three products recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission last year were Chinese imports – with an upward trend of defective, unsafe products found in every quarter of 2007. The CPSC recalled a total of 447 products for safety concerns last year. Of those, 298 were manufactured in China. Only 62 were made in the USA. The rest were made in other countries. In 2006, the CPSC recalled a total of 467 kinds of products – 221 of which...

For Immediate Release Contact: Leslie K.Paige 202-467-5334 Alexa Moutevelis 202-467-5318 February 20, 2008 CAGW Names Rep. John Murtha Porker of the Year Taxpayers Are Not in His “Corner” Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today announced the final results of its online poll for the 2007 Porker of the Year. Rep. John “Jack” Murtha (D-Pa.) won in a landslide victory, receiving 63.4 percent of the vote. A distant second, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) received 10.6 percent, while Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) came in with 9.9 percent, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) had 6.7 percent, and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)...

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was the most liberal senator in 2007, according to National Journal's 27th annual vote ratings. The insurgent presidential candidate shifted further to the left last year in the run-up to the primaries, after ranking as the 16th- and 10th-most-liberal during his first two years in the Senate.

General Motors Corp. reported one of the largest losses ever for an automotive company Tuesday as it struggled to turn around its North American business amid a weak economy. Also this morning, the company offered a new round of buyouts to 74,000 U.S. hourly workers. GM said it lost $38.7 billion in 2007. The loss largely was due to a third-quarter charge related to unused tax credits. The Detroit-based automaker also on Tuesday said it was offering a new round of buyouts to all 74,000 of its U.S. hourly workers who are represented by the United Auto Workers. The 2007...

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission says comments by best-selling author John Grisham at the recent "New Baptist Covenant" meeting are theologically off base. During a rare public speech, Grisham criticized Baptists who believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. The novelist spoke about a Baptist church he attended as a youth, which he described as intolerant because its leaders said the Bible should be read literally. The Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president, Dr. Richard Land, disagrees with Grisham and says it is not intolerant to defend God's Word....

Exxon Mobil Posts Record Profits Friday February 1, 8:20 am ET Exxon Mobil Posts Biggest Annual and Quarterly Profits Ever by a U.S. Company HOUSTON (AP) -- Exxon Mobil Corp. on Friday posted the largest annual profit by a U.S. company -- $40.6 billion -- as the world's largest publicly traded oil company benefited from historic crude prices at year's end. Exxon also set a U.S. record for the biggest quarterly profit, posting net income of $11.7 billion for the final three months of 2007, besting its own mark of $10.71 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005. The previous...

What do monks, kites, unwanted pregnancies, a 19th century abolitionist, and a young man with a life-sized inflatable doll have in common? They're all in movies that we've deemed the ten most redeeming films of 2007. posted 01/29/08 First off, what do we mean by "redeeming" films? They're all stories of redemption—sometimes blatantly, sometimes less so. Several of them literally have a character that represents a redeemer; all of them have characters who experience redemption to some degree—some quite clearly, some more subtly. Some are "feel-good" movies that leave a smile on your face; some are a bit more uncomfortable...

America's most influential blog is the Daily Kos. Democratic members of Congress post on the blog, Democratic presidential contenders cater to them, and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas is considered to be a mainstream figure amongst Democrats. Keep all of that in mind as you read these excerpts and quotes, all of which come from the Daily Kos writers, not from commenters on the blog: 10) "I wrote a diary a short time ago about how the Bush administration helped ruin my marriage. It wasn't because my husband was a Bush supporter or anything...it was because of all the stresses...

Contact:  Jerry Horn, Priests for Life, 540-220-0095STATEN ISLAND, NY, Jan. 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and full-time Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life, has been named one of the Top Ten People of 2007 by Inside the Vatican magazine. In naming Dr. King, the magazine called her "one of the leading pro-life voices in America and the world today." "I am humbled and honored by this recognition, but I give all glory to God who allows me to speak on behalf of His children who cannot speak for themselves," Dr. King...

But some natives don’t want to be lifted. Published 1/24/2008 Perceptions of The Immigrant vary, to say the least. Merchant and restaurateur Eduardo Martinez of Little Rock sees himself a few years ago — ambitious, hard-working, law-abiding, soon to become a pillar of the community. Mayor Stephen Womack of Rogers sees people who drive up the crime rate, strain government services as well as the patience of the natives, and generally bear watching. A curious coalition of hard-nosed businessmen and soft-hearted do-gooders sees someone who needs protection from ill-informed and ill-intentioned elected officials. A fair number of inhospitable Arkansans see...

For Immediate Release Contact: Leslie K. Paige 202-467-5334, Alexa Moutevelis 202-467-5318 January 22, 2008 CAGW Announces 2007 Porker of the Year Nominees Washington, D.C. - With presidential primary season in full swing Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) jumped into the fray today with the announcement of its nominees for 2007 Porker of the Year. Citizens may cast their ballots for the politician they think was the most reprehensible porker of 2007 in an online poll. The six finalists were chosen by CAGW staff from among 12 worthy Porkers of the Month for 2007. The candidates are: Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.)...

The 2007 US National Intelligence Estimate, as well as the skewed reporting around it, is a sign of the "illegitimate politicization" of the American intelligence establishment, according to former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. The document reportedly said Iran stopped its nuclear weapons production program in 2003. While "Iran's nuclear program is continuing and expanding," Bolton told The Jerusalem Post at a book-signing in a Tel Aviv Steimatzky on Sunday, "the NIE has had a devastating impact on our global efforts to try and constrain Iran." "I know the people who wrote this intelligence estimate," Bolton continued....

"What do you consider to be your greatest achievement in 2007?.......... Iraq..... Health Care.... Infighting between Democrats and Republicans..... read the article for more.....

10 Best Films of 2007 1. Atonement 2. Amazing Grace 3. The Kite Runner 4. Ratatouille 5. The Assassination of Jesse James 6. Gone Baby Gone 7. 3.10 to Yuma 8. Breach 9. American Gangster 10. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 10 Worst Films of 2007 1. Bug 2. Georgia Rule 3. The Number 23 4. Hannibal Rising 5. Epic Movie 6. El Cantante 7. Redacted 8. Hot Rod 9. License to Wed 10. The Heartbreak Kid

Shattering all its previous records, the U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244 megawatts (MW) in 2007, expanding the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 45% in a single calendar year and injecting an investment of over $9 billion into the economy, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced today. The new wind projects account for about 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007 and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually while strengthening U.S. energy supply with clean, homegrown electric power. “This is the third consecutive year of record-setting growth, establishing wind...

What was your favorite book in 2007. It didn't have to be published in 2007, as long as that's when you read it. Was there anything that you were looking forward to that turned out to be disappointing? My apologies for not pinging the list in a long time. I've been waiting to get my computer back from being fixed and I've been waiting ... anyway ...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2008 – Operations in 2007 gave the Iraqi people hope, and operations this year must capitalize on that hope, a top commander in Iraq said today. In January 2007, al Qaeda in Iraq was entrenched in numerous safe havens around the country, including the entire western Euphrates River Valley, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said during a video teleconference with Pentagon reporters. The terrorist group dominated many Baghdad neighborhoods and cities, and its venomous influence was spiraling sectarian violence out of control. “They claimed Ramadi as the (al Qaeda in Iraq)...

It's official, the combined global land/ocean surface temperature for 2007 was the fifth warmest on record, according to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. Also, 2007 was the tenth warmest on record for the contiguous U.S.. --Global land surface temperature was the warmest on record.

Last year was terrible for the recorded-music majors. The next few years are likely to be even worse. IN 2006 EMI, the world's fourth-biggest recorded-music company, invited some teenagers into its headquarters in London to talk to its top managers about their listening habits. At the end of the session the EMI bosses thanked them for their comments and told them to help themselves to a big pile of CDs sitting on a table. But none of the teens took any of the CDs, even though they were free. “That was the moment we realised the game was completely up,”...

China's coal mines kill 3,786 in 2007 22 minutes ago Accidents in China's notoriously dangerous coal mines killed nearly 3,800 people last year, state media reported Saturday — a toll that is a marked improvement from previous years, but still leaves China's mines the world's deadliest. A total of 3,786 were killed in mining accidents in 2007 — 20 percent lower than the 2006 toll, indicating the effectiveness of a safety campaign to shut small, illegal mining operations and reduce gas explosions, the Xinhua News Agency quoted the head of China's government safety watchdog as saying. Coal is the lifeblood...

January 8 - Yvonne De Carlo, actress (Lily on the "Munsters"), age 84 January 10 - Carlo Ponti, producer ("Doctor Zhivago") and husband of Sophia Loren, age 94 January 14 - Darlene Conley, actress (Sally Spectra on "Bold and the Beautiful") age 72 January 16 - Ron Carey, actor (Ofc. Carl Levitt on "Barney Miller") age 71 January 17 - Art Buchwald, columnist for the Washington Post, age 81 January 19 - Denny Doherty, singer in the original Mamas and the Papas, age 66 January 20 - Sen. George Smathers, former U.S. Senator and confidant to several Presidents, age 93...

The U.S. is ending 2007 with a whine rather than a whimper. It is tough to keep track of what's collapsing faster, home prices or the dollar, and the financial market crisis caused by it has many seers talking recession as we enter 2008. As always, that delicious negativity receives the lion's share of media attention. But, in many ways, this past year was a pretty good one, and no, I am not just a talking about Boston's sports fans. Thus, to ring in the New Year, I present the Top 10 pieces of happy economic news in 2007.1) Equity...

95% Respond Negatively to Illegal Immigrant as Texan of the Year By Noel Sheppard | January 7, 2008 - 17:37 ET On December 30, NewsBusters voiced its displeasure with the Dallas Morning News naming the illegal immigrant as its 2007 Texan of the Year. As it turns out, Morning News readers were just as offended.In fact, according to Saturday's "Ask the Editor" piece on the subject, 95 percent of readers that sent in letters or e-mail messages were highly negative about the paper's choice (emphasis added throughout, h/t Tim Graham):   By midday Friday, some 700 reader comments had...

History is important. It gives us perspective into modern problems. We can gain immediate comfort seeing how so many " new" issues have been considered by courts in the past. As I have written, American court opinions explain that the threat of Islamic actions against out nationals is the very reason we have diplomatic assets overseas, and how al Qa’ida targeted the United States in part because of the economic sanctions we promoted against Iraq well before our 2003 military invasion. They also show that FBI wiretaps are hardly a new controversy, nor is the phenomenon of Muslims exploiting charities...

Rush Limbaugh’s detractors never learn. They’ve tried everything to come between Rush and his more than 20 million listeners, intending to destroy his appeal and impact. But it’s a hopeless, almost laughable endeavor. They led boycotts against his advertisers -- yet his show continues to generate more revenue than any other on radio. They pressured his affiliates to drop his program, but he’s still heard on more than 600 stations -- more than any other talk host. They tried to keep him off Armed Forces Radio, of course, but he has the most popular program on the military’s radio network....

One month ago, we noticed that November 2007 was the coldest month since January 2000. Well, the RSS MSU satellite data prepared by remss.com show that December was even cooler. The December anomaly was -0.046C, compared to -0.014C in November. That means that December 2007 was also cooler than the average December from 1979. Moreover, we can finally complete the ranking of the years! Let me start with forecasts in the mainstream media. In January 2007, we were informed that 2007 was either likely or certain to surpass 1998 and become the world’s warmest year on record by most media.

The year we sent off last week was quite mixed. It thus seems appropriate to create lists of the worst and best stories of 2007. Last week, I listed the 10 worst stories of 2007. This week, I present to you the 10 best stories of 2007: 10. Burj Dubai becomes the world’s tallest freestanding structure: This story presents dual reasons to cheer. First, it represents the power of free trade and the global economy in improving technology and humanity’s standard of living. Second, it demonstrates the ability of capitalism to modernize Muslim countries such as the United Arab Emirates,...

Well , in no particular order, here are my favourite movies of 2007 Ratatouille..although this list isn't in order, this was Entertaining and my favourite of the year. The Bourne Ultimatum A great climax to a fantastic trilogy Shrek 3 After the an obvious "show me the money" with 2, I was amazed to see that the ogre still had life in him. Great stuff! 300 This is Sparta! Golden Compass Forget the religion: great acting, great script, great movie. Grizzly Man I love happy endings. Miss Potter Simply adorable. The Last King of Scotland A Must see! Breach Unbelievable...

Rush Limbaugh’s detractors never learn. They’ve tried everything to come between Rush and his more than 20 million listeners, intending to destroy his appeal and impact. But it’s a hopeless, almost laughable endeavor. They led boycotts against his advertisers -- yet his show continues to generate more revenue than any other on radio. They pressured his affiliates to drop his program, but he’s still heard on more than 600 stations -- more than any other talk host. They tried to keep him off Armed Forces Radio, of course, but he has the most popular program on the military’s radio network.

Presented by TheSubReport.com Click Below: 2007 Submarine Photos Year in Review

LifeNews.com Note: The three authors write for the Family Research Council.As the reader will see from our prior publication, "Adult Stem Cell Success Stories - 2006," [1] adult stem cell research had an impressive track record as of 2006-over 1100 FDA approved clinical trials in the United States for 72 different illnesses and disabilities. 2007 has seen further advances in adult stem cell research and therapy. Currently, peer-reviewed studies have documented over 1400 FDA approved trials[2] for 73 different conditions in humans where patient health has been improved through adult stem cell therapy.[3]Adult stem cells are found throughout the human...

5) California bill introducing homosexuality to young children: Children as young as two years of age are in the bull's-eye of coming changes in California's school curriculum, which "gay rights" advocates now admit will alter the very foundation of information presented to public school classrooms. Opponents of a new state law that bars "discriminatory bias" in public schools because of a "characteristic," including "perceived gender," argued before its passage that it would foster a pro-homosexual bias that would eliminate references to "mom" and "dad" or "husband" and "wife." Supporters steadfastly maintained the bill only clarified anti-discrimination laws already on the...

We are pleased today to present the results of the 2007 Noble and Knave of the Year contest. Enormous thanks are in order for the readers of The Washington Times, without whom this contest wouldn't be possible. Without further ado, your winners: In an unusual three-way tie for eighth place in the Knave of the Year category were Ted Turner of CNN, Marine Sgt. Timothy Allen DeBusk and George Washington University President Stephen Knapp. Readers may remember any of Mr. Turner's boneheaded comments about the state of affairs in North Korea, but his most recent — that North Koreans are...

Here are three obituaries I am thrilled to write Let us remember three of the cultural trends that died – or were at least mortally wounded – in the previous year, hopefully for the betterment of all mankind. The discrediting of Hollywood "protest." Hollywood will never give up trying to make Americans think like Barbra Streisand, but 2007 showed that it might have a harder time raising money for the effort. In the last year, Hollywood dropped enough anti-war bombs to launch its own Shock and Awe campaign. Robert Redford's star-studded Lions for Lambs was panned by critics and moviegoers...

SEATTLE - Boeing Co. blew past an order record it set two years ago, selling 1,413 commercial jets in 2007 while delivering 441 planes, its best showing in six years. The single-aisle 737 remains its best-seller, followed by the new midsize, long-haul 787 Dreamliner, which is scheduled to begin flight testing by spring.

DALLAS, (AP) -- When editorial writers at The Dallas Morning News chose the illegal immigrant as the newspaper's Texan of the Year, they expected some criticism. But not this: 800 blog postings and more than 150 letters to the editor blasting the decision. Some of the critics threatened to cancel subscriptions or pressure advertisers to stop doing business with the paper. "What an asinine article!!!" exclaimed one reader. "What part of stupid are you guys that support illegal aliens? This puts us ALL in danger," another wrote. Editorial writer Rodger Jones said he was "surprised at the nastiness" of the...

Fox News Channel once again ended the year as cable’s top news network, followed by CNN, with few radical ratings dips or surges for either network. But among the channels with smaller audience totals -- MSNBC, CNBC and CNN Headline News -- 2007 was a year of growth. For the year in primetime, Fox News was the No. 6-ranked cable channel behind USA Network, TNT, ESPN, TBS and Lifetime Television. That’s two notches higher than its ranking last year. CNN, its closest news competitor, was No. 26, down one"........[snip]" ....MSNBC continued to grow in total day in viewers (17%) and...

Survey: Depp Most Bankable Film Star In 2007 'Pirates,' 'Sweeney' Roles Elevate Actor To TopJohnny Depp pillaged the most money for theaters in 2007, says a survey of movie exhibitors. Depp -- star of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - has nabbed the No. 1 spot for the second year in a row in an annual survey by Quigley Publishing Co. The survey, conducted every year since 1932, asks movie exhibitors to vote for the 10 stars who generated the most box-office revenue for their theaters. Will Smith, now...

WASHINGTON -- Well, 2007 was the year when people predicted the economy would be in a recession, the Iraq war was lost and Democrats would be dictating policy to a weak, lame-duck president. But the U.S. economy is still expanding, racking up nearly 5 percent growth in the third quarter, violence has plummeted in Iraq as a result of President Bush's military surge, the first of American troops are coming home and the Democrats lost all of the major legislative fights of the year. So much for those predictions. Let's take these one at a time, because rarely has a...