Free Republic

Back in January, I posted a thread about Reading Any Good Books and it got over 200 responses. It's been two months. What have you been reading?

A long time ago, there was a Free Republic Book Club ... mostly because I opened my mouth and a bunch of people told me to organize one. I haven't pinged it in a long time. (Actually, another book club started, so I stopped.) Any way, has anyone read any good books lately. Fiction, non-fiction, genre, mainstream. Anything you want to share? Has anyone WRITTEN any good books that the rest of us should check out?

If you know any students taking state exams this month, this blog, which is maintained by a NYC math teacher with two decades of experience, contains many, many previous exam questions, answers, and explanations of how to find these answers. It's mostly New York Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2/Trigonometry, but there are some Texas exams on the site.

Statistical tie with Hillary up by .4% for the first time in weeks.

My sister's neighbor, her "adopted daughter", if you will, is trying to raise money to go from Brooklyn to Montreal with a van to rescue as many pit bulls as she can before they are put down this Monday under a new law. My sister is driving up there. (I'd be going, too, if I weren't allergic!) Please consider donating, and spreading the word on other sites you use.

Does anyone remember the story behind this picture I first saw this picture posted on Free Republic, that much I remember. I don't remember if the person who posted it was also the one who took it. What I do remember is that the eagle was originally facing to the Left and someone asked for a repost with it facing to the Right -- not the simplest thing to do in those days. The site I'm linking to apparently posted it in 2001, and I joined FR in 1998 (the second time -- I was here a few months before...

Social media has become the first place many of us hear about breaking news. This is perhaps most evident when someone famous dies. Word spreads fast and memories and reminiscences are shared. Here are twenty notables who were remembered on Twitter after their passing in 2014. 1. “Unbroken” World War II hero and Olympian Louis Zamperini 2. Former White House Press Secretary James Brady

Let's play F, marry, kill! #KendallJones @HollyRFisher and @michellemalkin #popculturegame

His tweet, and I quote: DickinsonForCongress, ‏@VoteMike2014If you live in VA and can run this tag- I want to expose this tea party idiot. pic.twitter.com/7NidEu7A9F

My cousin Patricia read the following poem at her mother's funeral yesterday. (That would be my Aunt Pat.) There wasn't a dry eye in the place. And if that didn't get you, then her sister Debbie, in her eulogy, remembering those who have left us since last August did: my Mom, their sister Barbara, my niece Lisa and most recently, our cousin Mary Ann. Attrib. David M. Romano, 1993 If Tomorrow Starts Without Me… If tomorrow starts without me, and I’m not here to see, If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me;...

What is it about Hollywood, the media, and liberals in general, that causes them to misunderstand the word "brave"? Once upon a time, there were many brave liberals, who stood up to voice original dissenting opinions, whether valid or not, rational or not, in an effort to persuade any of the rigid minds about them to come to their cause. Some of them suffered setbacks to their careers and their lives because of it, but that did not deter them from speaking out further. And that was brave of them. Nowadays, people stand up to regurgitate the same bullet points...

A few years ago, a message came in to this website on the FAQ line from a young actress from Georgia (the one from the former USSR, not the State with Atlanta in it) called Anna Gurji. She sent a link to her webpage and to films she had made in Georgia, and told me she was a fan, and if she ever came to the US, she would want to be in something of mine... (SNIP) I told her to write her story for me, to say what she wanted, and I would put it up here for her,...

July 9 might be "Internet doomsday" for PC and Mac users who haven't taken steps to make sure their systems are not infected with what's being called DNSChanger malware. That's right: Your Internet connection may not work that day because the safety net now in place from the FBI against the malware will be removed then, and if your computer is infected, you won't be able to get to the Internet.

A search of the email cache that BigGovernment released last week reveals that the #Occupy movement is largely driven by socialists and anarchists who realize they need to conceal their actual message and goals in order to appeal to the political mainstream. The goal of #Occupy is to build large enough numbers where a ‘mob mentality’ takes over so they achieve their real aim of overthrow, as evidenced by a statement from one of the #Occupy movement’s earliest and strongest advocates: …when the numbers are big enough, they will feel their oats, get impatient, and start demanding more than you...

More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. The winners of NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy survey are an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles. A quick word about what's here, and what's not: Our panel of experts reviewed hundreds of the most popular nominations and tossed out those that didn't fit the survey's criteria (after — we assure you — much passionate, thoughtful, gleefully nerdy discussion). You'll notice there are no young adult or horror books on this list, but sit tight, dear reader, we're saving those...

There are some things that we retain as memories that immediately bring fond thoughts of the past. The incredible voice of Fred Foy in the Lone Ranger radio and television series certainly qualifies! For everyone interested in truly inspiring classic voice work, here is the script he made famous. Hi-Yo, Silver! A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty “Hi-Yo Silver”… The Lone Ranger! With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early West. Return with us...

Stephen J. Cannell, the voracious writer-producer of dozens of series that included TV favorites "The Rockford Files," "The A-Team" and "The Commish," has died at age 69. During three decades as an independent producer, he distinguished himself as a rangy, outgoing chap with a trim beard who was generally identified with action dramas full of squealing tires and tough guys trading punches.

IF ONLY THE RIGHT WOULD LEAVE THE CONSTITUTION ALONE.... For the better part of the last couple of decades, conservatives took a fairly aggressive approach to constitutional amendments: they wanted several more. Indeed, by the mid-point of his presidency, George W. Bush was on record supporting at least six different proposed amendments to the Constitution: (1) prohibiting flag burning; (2) victims' rights; (3) banning abortion; (4) requiring a balanced budget; (5) prohibiting same-sex marriage; and (6) allowing state-endorsed prayer in public schools. As a wise blogger noted at the time, Bush "really seems to think the Constitution is just a...

Disabled Iraq veteran, Luis Montalvan, says that he was repeatedly discriminated against at a Brooklyn McDonald's. According to Montalvan, these conflicts culminated in an assault that sent him to the emergency room. Now, Montalvan is suing McDonald's for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, discrimination, and assault and battery.

Poor Farrah Fawcett. A month ago, People magazine's Larry Hackett admitted to the Times that she only had one remaining chance for some friendly press: "At this point, Farrah has to die," he said. "It's the only cover left for her." Needless to say, she's missed her chance. Having vanished from the headlines after Michael Jackson's sudden demise, Farrah is just the latest to join a peculiar group: the Eclipsed Celebrity Death Club.