Free Republic

Facing a stagnant economic situation overseas, more Chinese students are returning home after studying overseas, a trend that looks likely to continue in coming years, a report released this week says. The report on the situation in 2013, conducted by the Chinese international education service provider EIC, said 22 percent of returned overseas Chinese students thought they would have better prospects finding a good job in their "home country". The survey interviewed more than 9,100 respondents by questionnaire over five months. More than 5,800 had been overseas students. "China's high-speed economic growth in past years has motivated overseas students to...

China's spokesperson system to be overhauled The central authorities are revamping their PR system. This comes amid complaints that government spokespeople are too robotic, and don't explain issues in a relatable manner. Observers and a number of government spokespeople quoted in the article say the move is long overdue.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday morning made an offering to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine during its autumn festival, according to local media. The offering is amid strained relations between Japan and its neighboring countries, namely China and South Korea, due to territorial disputes and Japan's attitude toward war-related history. The shrine, which honors Japanese war dead, including 14 class- A war criminals during the World War II, is considered as the symbol of Japan's past militarism. Repeated visits to the controversial shrine by Japanese cabinet ministers and lawmakers have been a major obstacle for Japan to mend ties...

Hillary Clinton's security staff get into a row with a traffic warden whilst waiting for her in London [Photo: Agencies] The Westminster City Council warden put an 80 pounds penalty notice on the former US secretary of State Hillary Clinton's silver Mercedes vehicle in Central London, while she was attending an event at Chatham House last Friday, the Daily Mail reported. Mrs Clinton's car was parked in a bay on St James's Square in Mayfair, where parking costs ?3.30 per hour. Her security staff were seen discussing the penalty notice with a Westminster Council traffic warden, but he refused to...

Economists are questioning the benefits of China's new free trade zone in Shanghai, despite rave reviews from the official press. On September 27, the government outlined plans for the pilot free trade zone (FTZ), covering nearly 29 square kilometers (11 square miles) in the Shanghai area. Over the next three days, the official Xinhua news agency's English-language website posted no fewer than 14 stories, marking the opening of the FTZ on September 29. Hailed as "the brainchild of Premier Li Keqiang" by state-run China Daily, the FTZ would serve as a laboratory for liberalizing the national economy, experimenting with eased...

TOKYO - Two and a half years ago, Ayako Oga, now 30, found herself helpless as an earthquake and the tsunami it triggered hit Japan and crippled four reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. She and her husband were forced to abandon their village Ookuma Machi, barely five kilometers away. The once-farmer is a leading activist today in Japan's growing anti-nuclear movement, joining hundreds of Fukushima residents affected by the March 11, 2011 tragedy to protest against a government plan to restart Japan's nuclear reactors. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been aggressively pushing an economic agenda that...

Despite being in power for over half a century, Myanmar's military, both its despotic leadership and institutional instruments, namely the Tatmadaw, or armed forces, remains an enigma. It is the black hole of understanding in the literature, research and reporting produced about a country that suddenly finds itself in the limelight after decades of international isolation. The world is well-acquainted with opposition leader and pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi - her political beliefs, her inspiring personal tale, and her pedigree as the daughter of Myanmar's independence hero, General Aung San. Even her aesthetic tastes are well-publicized, as are the...

Oct 16 (Reuters) - The Chinese government is investigating the former head of PetroChina's Indonesian operations, sources said, just weeks after authorities announced a corruption investigation into other former senior executives at the state oil giant. PetroChina removed Wei Zhigang from his post as general manager of its Indonesian unit several weeks ago amid an unspecified official probe into the executive, three Chinese oil industry sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Company spokesman Mao Zefeng said he was not aware of any investigation into Wei, who could not be reached for comment. PetroChina and its parent firm, China National...

It is estimated that by 2050 a third of Indonesia's population will be over the age of 60. That will put a strain on a society where elderly Indonesians have traditionally been looked after by their families. But some of the older generation are now choosing to live in retirement homes and an industry has grown up to serve them.

Maid recruitment agencies in Singapore have started turning to new sources of domestic workers like Myanmar and Cambodia. SINGAPORE: Maid recruitment agencies in Singapore have started turning to new sources of domestic workers like Myanmar and Cambodia. This follows the decision of the Manila-based Association of Licensed Recruitment Agencies to Singapore (ALRAS) to stop deploying Filipino domestic workers to Singapore from September 2 this year. Maid agencies in Singapore said the Philippine authorities expect employers and not the maids to fork out the placement fees. The placement fees are for the processing of documents needed before the domestic worker can...

Singapore's biomedical sector has grown in the last decade. It now contributes nearly S$30 billion to the economy, compared to about S$6 billion in 2000. SINGAPORE: Singapore's biomedical sector has grown in the last decade. It now contributes nearly S$30 billion to the economy, compared to about S$6 billion in 2000. This was announced on Wednesday at the 10th anniversary of Biopolis. President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who was the chairman of the Life Sciences Ministerial Committee in 2003, officially opened the research hub that year. Today, it is one of the more notable centres for biomedical research, globally.

Singapore's non-oil domestic exports fell year-on-year for an eighth straight month in September. SINGAPORE: Singapore's non-oil domestic exports fell year-on-year for an eighth straight month in September. Trade agency, IE Singapore said exports declined by 1.2 per cent in September, following the 6.8 per cent decrease in the previous month. The figure was better than economists forecast for a 2.8-per cent contraction. Exports were hurt by continued lacklustre demand for the country's electronics, which shrank 5.5 per cent from a year ago. However, on-a-month-on-month basis, exports rose by 5.7 per cent in September, in contrast to the previous month's 6.6-per...

Sen. McCain says Rep. Gohmert has no intelligence, so therefore not capable of malice in his comment about McCain. #NBCNightlyNews

First published on FrontPage Magazine. By Enza Ferreri The UK is facing its greatest risk of blackouts since 2007/08 in the coming winter. The National Grid, responsible for balancing the country's supply and demand of energy, last week has given this warning because Britain’s reserves of electricity have halved in 12 months. The UK and the USA are in the same boat here. Both countries have governments that have – or pretend to have - fallen for the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) theory hook, line, and sinker. The Obama Administration’s regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants,...

REAL Estate and Housing Developer’s Association (Rehda) national treasurer Datuk N K Tong recently said that the escalating prices of properties, was significantly caused by the supply and demand factor. “As land prices continue to rise, there is also the issue of not producing houses fast enough to cater to the increasing demand. “We need to accelerate the number of units being built and this can be done when all parties work closely,” said Tong, adding that a property market report by the National Property Information Centre (Napic) showed the existing stock nationwide in the first quarter of 2013 was...

KUALA LUMPUR: After a three month lull, net buying on Bursa Malaysia jumped 17-fold in the week ending Oct 4, 2013 from the previous week, indicating interest in Asean and that Bursa Malaysia is able to outperform the region once again amid volatile market environment. In a statement yesterday, Bursa Malaysia Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Tajuddin Atan said Bursa Malaysia bucked the trend in Asean and the return of foreign interest on the exchange were strong indications for the country’s marketplace that offered unique investment opportunities. “Indeed this is an exciting time for Bursa Malaysia. A number of initial...

Tuesday, October 15, 2013 No Business Like Gov Business Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog Imagine a big corporation. A really big corporation that monopolizes everything and compels you to buy its low quality overpriced services and imprisons you if you refuse to pay whether you use them or not. Now imagine a CEO who picks and chooses which laws to follow, who breaks the law, embezzles huge sums for his friends, lies repeatedly and is never.held accountable for it. We are all shareholders of the corporation of government whose board and CEO we vote for, but...

I hate to be rude and I hate to be crass, but you know what, ladies and gentlemen, I've had it. I am sick and damn tired of of voting for a party that mocks me, torments me, and worst of all, collaborates with the fascist pigs in the Democrat party to destroy The United States of America in the name of "bipartisanship". In short, I no longer consider myself a member of the Republican't party. I'm done. The GOP can take a long walk off a short pier. I have had more than my share of being the political...

Just yesterday I heard the story of retired Army Captain William Swenson and his late in coming award of the Medal of Honor, earned in a tense combat mission, in Afghanistan in 2009, judged by many, to be one of the most, if not the most intense ever in that region. Because the outline of the story were gripping, I hunted down a handful of write-ups on the Battle of Ganjgal, and in the process, not only uncovered details that have only sparsely been alluded to, but a rare clip of raw video of one segment of the event as...

BANGKOK: Thailand's central bank on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate at 2.5%, a level it continues to feel is low enough to help the economy escape recession. The Bank of Thailand (BoT) said the rate is "still appropriate". It said the economy, which slipped into a mild recession in April-June quarter, is stabilising, but growing slower than expected. The central bank said it revised down its growth and export forecasts at the meeting but the new projections will be released on Oct 25. In July, the growth projection was chopped to 4.2% from 5.1%. The Thai Finance Ministry predicts...

Immigration is a key driver of the entitlement state. Most immigrants to the U.S. have low levels of education and job skills and end up on array of benefit programs. Fifty-one percent of illegal immigrants lack a high school education compared to 20% of legal immigrants. According to a Heritage Foundation study, the average illegal immigrant household has a “net deficit” of benefits to taxes of $14,387. That means the family receives $14,387 more in federal government benefits than it pays in federal taxes. The study predicts under the Senate-passed immigration bill (S.744), that would increase to $22,700. The Study...

It's official: Obama has won and conservative Republicans have lost. The US Senate just approved legislation to end the so-called government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. The bill funds the government through January 15th, raises the debt cap, give back-pay to furloughed workers, and has only two tiny crumbs of concessions that essentially do nothing. The first is that Obamacare will verify the income of those signing up for it, but as the website and program itself is so riddled with junk, that'll likely never happen. The second bit of nothingness is that a bipartisan budget committee will form...

(Reuters) - IBM reported a 4 percent drop in third-quarter revenue, worse than expected by Wall Street, amid a decline in hardware and emerging markets even as it beat earnings estimates. IBM shares fell 6 percent in after-hours trade to $175.56 (110.10 pounds). Chief Financial Officer Mark Loughridge said on a conference call for investment analysts that third quarters tended to be difficult for the world's largest technology service provider but added the company faced some particular challenges this year. Profitability in its hardware business declined by $1 billion year-to-date and currency effects had a $500 million year-to-year negative impact,...

The British former chief of GlaxoSmithKline’s operation in China has returned to the country to “help” police with bribery investigations but has been barred from leaving, it can be disclosed. Mark Reilly, 47, is being kept in China by investigators while they look into claims that the pharmaceutical giant dispensed up to £300m in bribes to doctors and hospital managers to persuade them to prescribe its drugs. It follows a request from the authorities that he remain in the country. Mr Reilly left China in July, shortly before the Chinese police revealed the investigation and arrested four Chinese GSK executives....

The authorities in a city in eastern China are on high alert after angry residents clashed with police over the government's flood relief efforts. Armed police are out in force in Yuyao in Zhejiang province, after thousands of people protested in front of the government office there, throwing stones and overturning vehicles. Residents say little was done to help after Typhoon Fitow struck last week. Protests against officials are common, but rarely reported by state media. Residents in Yuyao have been in confrontation with the authorities since last week after complaining about what they say was a slow government response...

We have no choice! Let them come over to our side, it is futile to get these twits to do the right thing, they are entrenched, the don't give a wit about the future of the country, Now is the time for a third party, all arguments against are nothing but whistling past the graveyard! The GOP is just a faction of the DNC but the DNC has balls!

"Katy bar the door if I’m wrong." Interesting information on San Antonio Police Department preparations for the 19 October event. I will be heading to San Antonio on Thursday and expect to arrive there early Friday afternoon for the Come and Take It San Antonio rally. I received the communication below from a reader and it reveals some interesting information on the police preparations on the part of SAPD. It also reveals the Achilles' Heel of their plans. In any case, I'm going. Hope to see you there. (And for anyone who's not going but wishes they could, let...

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“Congress Set to End Fiscal Impasse as Boehner Concedes“ Sigh. So what was the reaction in financial markets from the surrender by Mitch McConnell (RINO-KY) and John Boehner (RINO-OH)? Particularly after the “terrifying crisis” that Democrats, the media and Gall Street professionals were screaming about? First, the 10 year US Treasury yield fell 6 basis points in the afternoon. Hardly an earth shattering change from the alleged “brink of default.” ust10psurr Second, US Credit Default Swaps are at 40, almost the same as Australia and New Zealand. Which, as far as I know, have NOT been on the brink of...

Congressmen and Senators, At this critical juncture, on the cusp of what most conservatives now expect to be another massive sellout of the people and of principle, I would like to take this opportunity to point out a few crucial facts concerning political ownership of public policy. FACT If you AGAIN fund Obamacare, you own it. FACT If you AGAIN vote to fund Planned Parenthood, you own it. FACT If our Posterity is further burdened with crushing debts to which they could not possibly consent, and you AGAIN vote for it, you own it. FACT If any immoral and/or unconstitutional...

(CNSNews.com) - Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman in the Office of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, is refusing to say whether the Department of Defense would attempt to stop a civilian Catholic priest, who had been a contract chaplain for the military, from administering the last rites to a serviceman on a U.S. military base. “I feel no particular compulsion to answer outlandish, hypothetical questions in a yes/no fashion nor does the Department, generally, answer hypotheticals at all,” Breasseale said in an email. “Further, it is a matter of long standing Department policy to not address matters that are...

Megyn Kelly so wants to be the moderate in that lineup that she couldn’t even get to the end of the first page of a post on my website before she rushed on the air to scream RACISM!! Like a little spoiled liberal, with no research into the matter, no call to the author, no knowledge of who the author even is and no conservative credentials to be making such claims in the first place, Ms. Kelly is getting her centrist slot off to a rousing start and should be receiving invites to all the right upper east-side mainstream media...

The state of Michigan will give out an estimated $577 million of taxpayers' dollars this fiscal year in the form of tax credits to various companies. But getting information from the state about those deals remains a challenge. In at least one instance, a popular beer website sheds more light on what happened to a deal the state brokered than the state organization charged with its oversight. In 2009 the Michigan Economic Development Corp. approved up to $723,000 in tax credits for the Michigan Brewing Co. to expand to produce Kid Rock's "American Badass" beer. The MEDC doesn't mention anything...

Yes and no. Yes, as in, it is possible, and no, as in, it’s not normal in the soul sense. Of course, one immediately thinks of famous, mysteriously married, bi-partisan power-couples such as top republican consultant Mary Matalin and top democrat strategist James Carville. They’ve been happily wedded for twenty years. Amazingly, they actually met (in 1991) while each was about to be hired to manage opposing presidential campaigns; Matalin for George H. W. Bush, and Carville for Bill Clinton. They claim publicly that they don’t talk politics at home. When they appear on TV together, it’s actually pretty amusing...

Dear Readers. I received a survey request (filled in below) from the Media Research Center (MRC). Initially I was expecting just another multiple choice form that misses many of the key issues of the day. Much to my delight, this one actually had, in addition to MRC's preferred topics,  "other" as choices. And what was even more special, MRC provided a space in which to spell out the other choice(s). Burned out naif that I am, I have my doubts they will actually read what I put in the boxes. I know, many of you think I must be crazy...

In 2005, the Michigan Employment Relations Commission inappropriately allowed and administered a union certification election for home-based caregivers, despite them not being public employees. Unfortunately for those 40,000-some workers, who primarily are family members and friends caring for the state's most vulnerable residents, MERC made the decision in April not to correct its own mistake. For that reason, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation this month filed an appeal in court, on behalf of people like Patricia Haynes and Steven Glossop, to have even a portion of the dues returned and the union certification declared illegal. "Our clients and tens of...

My former boss and mentor used to always say “Be careful when you point your finger at someone because you’ll notice you have three fingers pointing back at you.” Suddenly, I could hear his admonition as I was thinking about the lack of leadership on display from our government, especially from the White House. Being a Democracy, there is no one to blame for the leadership we have because We the People voted them in place. So although they may be responsible to a point, with the three fingers of self-indictment, We The People must accept three times the responsibility....

Thousands of unaccompanied children travel across South or Latin America every year in hopes of entering the United States. These children, traveling without parents or guardian supervision, risk their lives for a chance at a better life in America. The Southwest Key Programs provides shelter for homeless immigrant children who have crossed the the U.S. border and are searching for either their families or a better life. USD student Denise Ambriz volunteered her time to work with the Southwest Key Programs to help the unaccompanied children currently living there. As part of her job she would talk with the children...

The Republican Party cannot exist without the conservative movement, and vice-versa. So something here has to give. Either Republican leaders and conservative leaders find a way to work together, or else D.C. isn’t big enough for both of them, and we need someone to fight a duel to see which one can continue to exist. Because party leadership trashed its own reputation so badly last decade, the conservative leadership is in the driver’s seat now. This is actually a great opportunity. But with all that power comes great responsibility, and the ball has just been dropped....

Petition to legalize 4TH TRIMESTER abortions.

Despite no evidence in financial markets of a default, House Speaker John Boehner (RINO-OH) will bring the Senate clean Continuing Resolution (CR) to The House floor for a vote. The endless spending and debt growth in Washington DC will continue now that the Senate has turned over the power of pursestrings to The President (once House Republicans agree). Obamacare was already a tremendous transfer of power and control to the Executive Branch, and now capitulating to President Obama gives the Executive Branch overwhelming power and control. In order to honor our career politicians in Congress and the Administration, the Washington...

It’s time to repeal the National Firearms Act of 1934. The Second Amendment requires it and the American people demand it be done now! The elite in society don’t want you to know that since 1934, there appear to have been at least two homicides committed with legally owned automatic weapons. One was a murder committed by a law enforcement officer (as opposed to a civilian). On September 15th, 1988, a 13-year veteran of the Dayton, Ohio police department, Patrolman Roger Waller, then 32, used his fully automatic MAC-11 .380 caliber submachine gun to kill a police informant, 52-year-old Lawrence...

National Park Service director Jarvis said he discussed closing the open-air monuments and memorials with the White House, as well as the secretary of the Interior Department.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DTZT8i5e2Rs

Yesterday we briefly interrupted our battle with the Tea Party Anarchists to  present the Medal of Honor to retired Army Captain William Swenson. The long overdue medal was awarded to former Captain Swenson for repeatedly risking his life in Afghanistan's Battle of Ganjgal to rescue his fallen comrades. It only appears that Lady M is floating in space For the occasion, Lady M selected one of her recycled frocks, this one a little Rachael Roy number from way back in 2009; as you can see it still fits as well as it did 4 years ago! Even though we’ve, uh,...

Last week the man in charge of America’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) defense system was fired by Barack Obama. Of course you have heard almost nothing about this from Obama’s kept media. They have no curiosity about why General Michael Carey, a man with a sterling record of service to our nation; and as a 35 year Air Force officer would be fired with no reasons offered by this anti-military Administration. In the middle of his golf tour and a few threatening statements to Ted Cruz, Barack Obama found time to flop General Carey from his position as commander of...

There is currently a letter floating around the internet from United States Department of Agriculture addressed to all (SNAP) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program state agency directors. The letter states in pretty plain terms the USDA is directing States to hold or delay transmission of State Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) until further notice.

Twofer: MAIG Mayors going to prison (Don’t drop the soap, boys) October 15, 2013 It’s been a busy week for Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) group of gun-grabbing mayors. First up, Filthy Filner, the San Diego Mayor who had a reputation for sexually harassing lots of lots of ladies, pled guilty to some reduced charges. Rumor had it his plea was to avoid convictions with the word “sexual” in them.

Health Care: In a stunning admission, our Health and Human Services secretary admits ObamaCare is part of the fundamental transformation of America away from a free market in anything to a nanny state on steroids. Maybe Kathleen Sebelius was being sarcastic, or maybe she thought it might be a good way to reach the "young invincibles" who feel they had better things to do with their money than enroll in ObamaCare. But her recent appearance on Jon Stewart's show on Comedy Central went about as well as ObamaCare's train wreck of a rollout. Stewart hammered her and ObamaCare, as we...

any suggestions? my idea was to use Dem quotes, who made the quote, where and the date on page one and fun debt facts on the reverse side. put your suggestions and fun facts below...no internet links please-this is for print only . I plan to leave them at places where people sit alone and think- bathrooms, bus stops, etc.