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New Playgrounds Are Safe—and That's Why Nobody Uses Them The problem with safety guidelines is that they make most playgrounds so uninteresting as to contribute to reduced physical activity. Playgrounds don't look like they used to. Steep metal slides and wooden towers have given way to slow, plastic slides and carefully penned-in climbing contraptions. And forget about seesaws -- they're a thing of the past. When kids are bored by unimaginative (read: safe) playground equipment, they're less active as a result, and with childhood obesity at epidemic proportions, that's a danger, too. An interesting new investigation looks into this phenomenon....

JANUARY 2012 Julian Fellowes is as English as Earl Grey and clotted cream. As an actor, director and writer, he has continually peeked under the petticoats of British mores and conveyed the details with relish to audiences. His writing of the upstairs-downstairs whodunit Gosford Park won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2002, and his subsequent films Vanity Fair and The Young Victoria established Fellowes as the class-fixated Anglophile’s Anglophile. His two novels, Snobs and Past Imperfect, mined the same dishy blueblood vein, and both were Sunday Times bestsellers. A lifelong Conservative, Fellowes was made a Peer of...

At least one other contender believes that Rick Santorum may be surging: Rick Perry hits Santorum for his earmark requests in this new radio spot to be airing in Iowa:

"We want to play basketball," Commissioner David Stern said. Come Christmas Day, they should be. The sides reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the 149-day lockout and hope to begin the delayed season with a marquee tripleheader Dec. 25. Most of a season that seemed in jeopardy of being lost entirely will be salvaged if both sides approve the handshake deal.

Newt Gingrich vowed on Friday to campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination on his own terms, saying he would do “whatever it takes” to remain in the race despite the exodus a day earlier of nearly his entire senior staff. “There is a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting community and the kind of campaign I want to run,” Mr. Gingrich said. “Now we’ll find out over the next year who’s right.” Even as some prominent Republicans, including Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, questioned his viability, Mr. Gingrich made plans to deliver a foreign policy speech in Los...

Boeing Co.’s newest 747 passenger jet, the largest commercial plane it has ever built, took to the skies for the first time Sunday, marking the third maiden flight of a new Boeing commercial airplane in the past 15 months. (See video) Painted in its orange and red “sunrise” livery, the massive, four-engine 747-8 Intercontinental lifted off from Paine Field, north of Seattle, at 10 a.m. local time under partly cloudy skies and gusty northerly winds. At 250 feet long, the 747-8 is 18 feet longer than its predecessor.

Ayn Rand’s tome, Atlas Shrugged, is often credited for changing people’s lives with its cautionary tale of business colluding with government to destroy freedom and prosperity. The novel, which has sold about seven million copies, has seen its influence grow under the Obama Administration. Writers like Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal have noted how Pres. Obama’s aggressive socialist agenda mirrors Atlas’s fifty year old plot. It is no surprise, then, that Atlas is selling better than ever, over half a million copies in 2009 alone. Even the movie industry, anything but a friend to liberty and capitalism, could...

Green Bay Packers fans turned out in droves to welcome their Super Bowl championship football team back to town on Monday. Fans lined the city streets all along the Packers’ route from Austin-Straubel Airport back to Lambeau Field after the team’s plane landed around 1:45 p.m. The players and coaches traveled in a caravan of Green Bay city buses, and on some streets fans were lined up as much as five or six people deep, on both sides. The crowds grew considerably larger the closer the team got to Lambeau. Upon arriving at the stadium, thousands of fans were waiting...

The Bowl Championship Series is the worst thing ever to happen to college football. If anything, the BCS destroys a chance for quality teams to face off every year. I like bowls. I enjoy all of the games. I enjoy watching Southern Mississippi’s offense every December. I enjoy seeing some of the smaller FBS schools, like San Diego State, Nevada and Troy get some national exposure. But I hate the BCS. It destroys rivalries, burns its chance to create new rivalries and alienates teams from getting into the national title hunt.

After a college footballweekend that was essentially nothing more than a media pile-on against the NCAA for its head-scratching treatment of five Ohio State players who violated the rules, I've got a bone to pick with the association, too. The 2010-2011 bowl season has been downright awful.

Maybe you know her as the “PDS” Princess, the splenetic sister of snark, a loyal correspondent or perhaps a really fun time waster. Whatever you call her, DeMille can forget getting his close-up, because the FReeper known as MaggieCarta is ready for her zot, Mr. Robinson… Ok, before I begin the Dictionary, I'd like to say, I've really enjoyed my time here on FR. Best wishes, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011 to all. The dictionary begins below...

The Looking Spoon is a conservative humor/satire/art/commentary blog, visit www.thelookingspoon.com to see more posts and art

RUSH: Why... is... he... uh... talking... uh... this... way? He's even got a teleprompter in there and he's still talking like that. He's putting a period not at the end of every sentence, but at the end of every word. I'm talking about Obama and this abomination of a press conference. JOHNNY DONOVAN: And now, from sunny South Florida, it's Open Line Friday! RUSH: Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yahoo. He said he wanted to close Guantanamo Bay sooner but we missed the deadline. We... missed... the... dead...line. This thing's been going on for over an hour, and......

Police say a South African man who wanted to watch a World Cup match instead of a religious program was beaten to death by his family in the northeastern part of the country. David Makoeya, a 61-year-old man from the small village of Makweya, Limpopo province, fought with his wife and two children for the remote control on Sunday because he wanted to watch Germany play Australia in the World Cup. The others, however, wanted to watch a gospel show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytW3xpQj97o&feature=player_embedded

Anyone who still likes to see the stars, the dresses, the fun of watching liberals do their thing, please join me! Dishing and heavy sarcasm welcome!

A Historic Speech By Michael Savage, that was supposed to be given at the Cambridge Debate Union on the topic of political correctness and free speech, but was cancelled at the last minute under political pressure by the Gordon Brown administration. Audio Here Part 1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV2Ok8_PJ0o Part 2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4g8C7vfNIU

It has been said by a president that america would only be defeated from within but I cant remember his name. The Bible I read says let GOD be true and every man a liar sometimes we as human, homosapien, or what ever you call yourself, because some people say they come from pluto when you ask them about GOD or when you invite them to come to church. Im gonna tell you a little about myself I go to church a lot im not religious im a spiritual man. The bible tells us GOD is a spirit and where...

Isn't it time for him to go home yet? It is good, in theory, that the new President of the United States is taking so much time to tour Europe. He arrived in London last Tuesday, has been to Strasbourg, Prague yesterday and now he's off to Turkey. It shows, I suppose, that he cares about the outside world and that is 'A Good Thing'. But his long stay means that we are hearing rather a lot from him, way too much in fact.

Isn't it time for him to go home yet? It is good, in theory, that the new President of the United States is taking so much time to tour Europe. He arrived in London last Tuesday, has been to Strasbourg, Prague yesterday and now he's off to Turkey. It shows, I suppose, that he cares about the outside world and that is 'A Good Thing'. But his long stay means that we are hearing rather a lot from him, way too much in fact. His speeches have long under-delivered, usually leaving a faintly empty sensation in this listener even though...

The NCAA Tournament commences Thursday night with four games in the round affectionately known as the Sweet 16. While the dearth of upsets thus far might have zapped some of the excitement out of the tournament, the advantage is that, according to the seeds, many of the top teams remain alive, including five from the Big East.

Smoking may be politically incorrect and bad for a politician's image, but consider the alternative! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you!

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus is in hot water thanks to a scandalous photo - again. The Asian American community has publicly chided the Disney darling after a photo leaked online of the 16-year-old and her pals slanting their eyes. The gesture, they say, is offensive and stereotypical.

on all cable news channels....to start in uh uh about 30 minutes.

Dear sir, I am very sorry I posted this story and will reframe from posting any future stories as I did search under illegals and did not see said story being remitted and I certainly do not wish to have Sidebar Moderator displeased and/or upset with me and feel it's better to discontinue posting any future stories when it requires an extensive serach over hundereds of sections. I am very sorry to of caused you problems and will be reframing from posting future stories, this will leave you one less person to double check any story that could be listed...

Won't discuss and spread the info, but it's available at link. :::sigh:::

Heard this played on the Schnitt Show this afternoon. CUE TO 5:55 min Turn up the sound and listen carefully to a very strange stutter...

posted by John Nichols on 08/27/2008 @ 01:28am Email Print Share Buzzflash del.icio.us Digg Facebook Newsvine Reddit What is this? Take Action Comments (1) Subscribe Now Text SizeAAAHere is a footnote, and nothing more than that, from the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We're finally done with all that speculation about former Virginia Governor Mark Warner becoming a national political player. Sure, Warner drew a bad card when Democratic National Convention organizers scheduled the keynote address on the same night as Hillary Clinton's address to the convention. But the Virginian, who this year is likely to win a Senate seat, failed...

By viewing evolution as the motion of energy flows toward a stationary state (entropy), evolution can be explained by the second law of thermodynamics, a law which conventionally describes physical systems. In this view, a cheetah serves as an energy transfer mechanism, and beneficial mutations allow the animal to transfer more energy within its environment, helping even out the energy.

OK so here is the deal. I cooked that London Broil in my electric oven with it set to "broil." I put the rack on the 2nd highest shelf. It was basted with olive oil, salt, & peper. I drove a fork through it repeatedly, just because it felt good, and I thought it might make it more tender. I cooked it 7 minutes each side. THE RESULTS: It was dry and boring, and I almost choked on it. I should have given to the one poster who said that London Broils are dangerous and he/she would dispose of it....

24 June 2008 Zagreb _ A former US ambassador to Croatia has accused Zagreb of plotting and sanctioning the exodus of Serbs in 1995 to create an "ethnically clean" country. Peter Galbraith told The Hague war crimes trial of three Croatian generals, that the leadership headed by late President Franjo Tudjman used ‘Operation Storm’ to ‘cleanse’ Croatia of Serbs. “Croatian authorities either ordered or allowed a mass destruction of the Serb property in former (Serb-held region of) Krajina to prevent the return of the population. I consider that to have been a thought through policy,” he said, testifying at the...

(CNSNews.com) - "Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish," by best-selling author and talk-radio host Mark Levin, tells the joyful and painful story of a dog, Sprite, who is adopted from an animal shelter into the Levin family, becomes a loving and happy member of that family, and then succumbs to illness and has to be put down. It is a touching story that has affected countless people. In an exclusive video-taped interview with Cybercast News Service Editor-in-Chief Terry Jeffrey, Levin talks about his book, his dog Sprite, and why this "dog lover's story" is really a...

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Under pressure in a caustic campaign debate, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday night the American people "know where I stand" and accused her rivals of distorting her record and slinging mud "right out of the Republican playbook.""There's nothing personal about this," countered former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who joined Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in bluntly accusing Clinton of forever switching positions on Social Security, driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and other issues."What the American people are looking for right now is straight answers to tough questions, and that is not what we have...

Anger at Tony Blair's 'boring' £200,000 speech By Richard Spencer in Beijing Last Updated: 7:10pm GMT 08/11/2007 Tony Blair has come under fire in the Chinese media for charging nearly £200,000 for a single speech – and not a good one at that. The former prime minister spoke to businessmen and government officials in the industrial city of Dongguan, two hours' north of Hong Kong, on Tuesday evening. Reports said the speech lacked substance Local media estimates of his fee ranged from US$330,000 to US$500,000 (£160,000 to £240,000). Although the real estate firm which hired him for a “VIP banquet”...

On a very dull morning, I decided to explore the much-touted High Definition channels. Big mistake.

Welcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a FRink.Will we hear… Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic! Call the show: 1-877-381-3811

Mark Levin show graphics: Welcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a FRink. Will we hear… Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic! Call the show: 1-877-381-3811 Mark Levin Show keywords: LEVIN, LEVINLOUNGE, PERSIMMONS, TALKRADIO Mark Levin Show FRink List: Mark explains it ALL… and boy do we NEED him!! Levin Frinks List: 1. Yhello, Yhello, Yhello 2. Get off the phone you _________________ ! : 3. Wiener Nation Mention 4. Mark says “Thank Me" or...

Looking at the potential presidential frontrunners for both the Democrat and Republican parties reveals that virtually everyone of them would surrender America’s borders. Not one of the presidential frontrunners from either party would protect our borders against illegal immigration. Just the opposite. They would continue George Bush’s policy of wide open borders, including his determination to grant amnesty to illegals. In other words, when it comes to protecting our borders, there is not a nickel’s worth of difference between the two major parties’ leading presidential contenders. Democratic presidential frontrunners include John Edwards, Barak Obama, and Hillary Clinton. Republican frontrunners include...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Protesters energized by fresh congressional skepticism about the Iraq war demanded a withdrawal of U.S. troops in a demonstration Saturday that drew tens of thousands and brought Jane Fonda back to the streets.

I don't see a thread for Hillarys speech just viewed on C-Span, so I'm starting one. I wasn't able to stomach more than five minutes at a time. It was the worst thing I have ever seen on television, and in this day and time, thats saying something. Is there anybody who watched more than five minutes? Please report! It was like a fingernail scratching a blackboard, two inches from my ear. Absolutely horrible. Applause was tepid, she had to bait them to applaud by pausing. If she were in a court, the opposition would object to leading the witness....

Welcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a FRink.Will we hear… Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition!Hey Hey, It’s “Ray” Day!Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic! Call the show: 1-877-381-3811

BE HERE, OR BE NOWHERE!

It is rare that a movie affects me so profoundly that I feel compelled to write about it, but Nancy Meyers' "The Holiday," starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black, is just such a movie: It is so bad it drove me from the theater before it was even finished. I pride myself on sitting through to the bitter end during even the most ridiculous movies. It's how I got through What Dreams May Come, with clenched teeth and steely determination. But pride goeth before an evacuation, and after one hour and forty minutes, my friend and...

BE HERE, OR BE NOWHERE!

Will the Shuttle go or not... It all depends on the weather...

American Music Awards on nowNext up- the Dixie Chicks, in case anyone is interested in hearing their vacuous rants....

Dictator hires doubles to do the boring jobs By Richard Spencer in Beijing (Filed: 30/09/2006) Korean leader Kim Jong-il (or is it?) inspects a farm run by Korean People's Army The eccentric North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il has hired doubles to carry out his more mundane tasks, according to South Korean intelligence officials. While Kim himself attends major state occasions, two men stand in for him for more routine visits to tractor factories or farms. "They are the spitting image of Kim — the same age, same height and with the same bouffant hairstyle and pot belly," a South Korean...

Lenders must consider borrowers' ability to pay the full cost of the loan WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Cracking down on exotic mortgages that have exploded in popularity in recent years, U.S. regulators told banks Friday that they've got to make sure that borrowers can actually pay back the full amount of the mortgage. Exotic products, such as interest-only or payment option adjustable rate mortgages, allow borrowers to trade lower initial payments for higher payments later. But such products have raised red flags at the Federal Reserve and other banking regulators as more institutions offer them and they become available to a...

Howard K. Stern just announced on Larry King that he's the Dad of Anna Nicole's Baby and that they're in love. That's all.