Free Republic

During an impassioned debate on the House floor Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Barney Frank characterized Republican opposition to the Pay for Performance Act as a manifestation of "a psychological disorder" and compared GOP lawmakers to "kids who have had a toy bear or a security blanket" taken away.

Video on siteI want one of these!

Jennifer Marsh was sick of paying high gas prices and bothered by the abandoned gas station that was an eyesore on the drive to her studio each day. So the aspiring artist and inspired activist came up with an idea — to cover the gas station with a colossal handmade blanket in a way that would bring greater attention to the world's dependency on oil. ''I really tried to find a good balance of art and politics. I don't want it to be just a political statement. And I don't want it to just be a sculpture,'' said the 27-year-old...

Brain blanket boosts mind control 18:00 15 February 2008 NewScientist.com news service Tom Simonite With a sheet of electrodes placed over the brain, people can quickly learn to move a cursor around a computer screen using their thoughts. Early trials suggest that this new procedure could overtake more established brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The two established techniques involve inserting electrodes into the brain or attaching them onto the scalp. These approaches have let people control robotic limbs, steer wheelchairs, type messages and walk in virtual worlds using thought alone. BCIs will one day transform the lives of people with disabilities and...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2007 – Less than six months after arriving in Baghdad for its third tour of duty, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division has “lifted the blanket of fear” that al Qaeda imposed on the Sunni communities under its protection, the brigade’s commander said today. Army Col. Terry Ferrell spoke with Pentagon reporters in a teleconference from Iraq. He said the brigade was the last of the surge brigades to arrive in the Baghdad area in June, and it’s responsible for the southwestern Tigris River Valley, covering the towns of Abu Waitha, Arab Jabour,...

KETCHUM, Idaho - It took surgery to save a 12-foot Burmese python after it swallowed an entire queen-size electric blanket — with the electrical cord and control box. The blanket must have gotten tangled up in the snake's rabbit dinner, owner Karl Beznoska said. He said he kept the blanket in the 60-pound reptile's cage for warmth.

The mother of a U.S. Marine was grieving for her dead son when she found that his savings account had been claimed by the director of the funeral home. It was money that he had no right to and despite a court ruling, the funeral director refused to pay. What's even more puzzling is that he's not just any debtor, he's the mayor of the small town and a member of a City Council that has financial responsibility for the city's budget. 7NEWS also found that he has other debts as well, something his constituents may want to know. Jason...

Pop superstar Michael Jackson has sparked further speculation he is on the verge of converting to Islam, after pledging to erect a mosque in his adopted home of Bahrain.The Thriller hitmaker has won planning permission to construct a 30-metre (98-foot) building just outside Manama on land adjoining the palace of the Bahraini royal family.The former Jehovah's Witness has been living in the Middle Eastern nation since he was acquitted of child molestation charges in his native America last June (05). He was recently pilloried for appearing in a Muslim abaya robe, which is traditionally worn by females."Michael is looking to...

While public officials, schools, and the ACLU worked overtime this year to ban every vestige of Christmas from the public square, the recently invented holiday known as Kwanzaa is gaining in popularity among black Americans. These occurrences are not unrelated. In an earlier time, blacks held a strong faith in God. But over the past 40 years, the black community has largely let God slip away. Sure the community has maintained the outer trappings of religion, but the solid morality at its core is nearly gone. Enter a God-hating black racist named Ron Karenga. Born Ron Everett on a poultry farm...