Free Republic

U.S. stocks erased most of a 156- point rally in the Dow Jones Industrial Average after a House bill to curb credit-card rates spurred concern about bank earnings, outweighing the Federal Reserve's plan to keep interest rates at a record low. Wells Fargo & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. led financial shares to the steepest loss among 10 industries as the vote moved up the start date of many rule changes that will make it more difficult for lenders to raise rates on existing credit cards. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index wiped out most of a...

A quick quesition for our Tech Brigade…a week ago, I seriously misplaced my cell phone, as in, it’s 80% sure it is lost in my house, but the best of research yields nada. I went to the kiosk and AT&T issued me a new sim and deactivated the old one, so no one can use it and if I find the phone, I can insert the Sim and be back to normal.

Red Bluff woman launches credit card revoltBy David Benda Posted September 17, 2009 at midnight RED BLUFF - Ann Minch's vow to stop making payments on her Bank of America credit card has captured a nation. Upset that the bank raised her interest rate to 30 percent, the 46-year-old Red Bluff native vented her outrage on video and uploaded it to YouTube. She calls the four-minute, 28-second clip "the proverbial first shot in an American Debtors Revolution," and it has struck a chord with the public. Minch will be in San Francisco today doing a live TV interview for the...

New credit-card rules, designed to curb the industry's abusive practices, went into effect a few weeks ago. But already lenders have found ways to get around the regulatory roadblocks—moves that may cost good paying consumers and people who pay their balances in full. Watch Video...

And Obama saith unto you, "Insurance companies will be prohibited from denying insurance coverage based on a pre-existing medical condition. Period." And there was a health care famine in the land...

I just want to throw this out there. Has anybody heard if he's changing his position (again) on card check?

"A" for Effort Teacher's Comments: He really knows how to shovel it. "A" for Penmanship Teacher's Comments: He signs those huge spending bills with such flair! "A" for Civility Teacher's Comments: He gets along well with others. Very amenable to critique from ruthless dictators.

I have beaten up Senator Specter pretty well on this site and I do still want the GOP to expel him, but I must give him credit when it is due. Yesterday, the Senator sent the following email stating that he will oppose card check, a bill that would deny workers the right to a secret ballot on unionization votes: Dear Pennsylvania Constituent, After giving exhaustive consideration to the Employee Free Choice legislation, I have decided to oppose the bill for reasons specified in my Senate floor statement which is contained below or you may read here and watch here....

I've used 2 different wireless cards (Linksys and Encore) on my desktop they randomly disconnect...

INSIDE GAMING: Maybe that iPhone user isn't just taking calls HOWARD STUTZ INSIDE GAMING Users of iPhones beware -- state gaming agents are watching you. California gaming authorities tipped off their Nevada counterparts to a blackjack card-counting program that can be used on either the Apple iPhone or the Apple iPod Touch portable music player. "The program calculates the true count and does it significantly more accurately," according to a Gaming Control Board memorandum sent to casino operators last week warning of the electronic device. Card counting is not illegal in Nevada casinos. However, using a device to aid in...

Download this handy card, warning police officers that if a stop and search is intrusive, unlawful or malicious, you will take action The debate about the use of stop and search – be it protesters or young black and Asian men, be it in the case of stopping knife crime or deterring terrorism – is one that has (understandably, perhaps) been fixed on the police results rather than the times they get it wrong.But it is in the cases where they get it wrong that attitudes towards police are sharpened and the rights we feel we have as citizens practically...

n a Daily Beast exclusive, a former Bush advisor files his account—and his photos—from aboard the former president’s flight back to Texas. Knowing it would be impossible to get out of the city Tuesday morning, many of us arrived Monday night at the very funky Econo Lodge by Air Force Andrews Base. The Blair House it was not. But good to be humbled on the way out. We jumped in a van in the morning and watched Obama’s inaugural address from the lobby at Andrews. The group of 100 or so watching, of which 100 percent were George Bush supporters,...

Hundreds wait for hours to buy S.F. ID card Hundreds of people stood in line for hours at San Francisco City Hall on Thursday to be among the first in the nation to receive municipal identification cards (regardless of their immigration status.) The cards, also available in New Haven, Conn., and being considered in other cities, have sparked fury among advocates of stricter immigration laws. They argue cities have no business declaring people residents if they are not in the country legally. But San Francisco officials and recipients of the cards hailed the new program as a way to connect...

Bernice Gallego sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day, and began listing items on eBay. She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card. She stopped for a moment and admired the picture. "Red Stocking B.B. Club of Cincinnati," the card read, under a sepia tone photo of 10 men with their socks pulled up to their knees. The card itself was dirty and wrinkled in a few places. [SNIP] The card is actually 139 years old. It, and a handful of others like it, are considered the first baseball cards. This...

NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO. -- A North Kansas City couple has been left scratching their heads after they became the victims of a political scam. Steve and Rachel Larman say a strange credit card charge appeared on their statement this month -- a $2300 donation to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. The Larman's say they don't want this to be about their political affiliation, but they say they're not about to give the Obama campaign any help from their pocketbook. They said they notified Chase, their credit card bank, to report the fraud. "(They) said that they had seen-they were familiar...

Omar Fikri, 42, said he was so offended by the card he destroyed it after showing it to his wife. He told the hearing that although it was meant as a joke, his co-workers knew he was sensitive about being labelled an extremist after the terrorist attacks on London and America. He also told the hearing that co-worker Sam Low called his praying "disgusting" when Mr Fikri failed to answer the phone while praying at his desk. Mr Fikri, who worked as a £30,000-a-year software programmer for international freight company Davies Turner, in Dartford, Kent, is claiming discrimination on the...

Candidates in Key Races Pledge to Support Employee Free Choice [1]     Kay Barnes     [2]     Rep. Tom Udall     Yes, Virginia (and Ohio and Colorado…), it’s true: The battle for the White House isn’t the only election this fall. Every U.S. House seat and 33 Senate seats are up for election, and ensuring a pro-working family Congress will require a strong national effort. Many candidates around the country understand the importance of passing legislation that levels the playing field for workers seeking to form unions. Kay Barnes (D-Mo.) and Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) are both...

In spite of fawning media coverage, an unpopular Republican president and economic challenges, Democrat Barack Obama has not managed to build a very substantive lead over his Republican rival John McCain. Recent polls show McCain closing the distance in key states, and one national poll even had the Republican candidate with a slight lead. There are those that have, of late, attributed Obama’s lackluster polling to race. It happens that they are correct. But Obama’s presidential run has always been about race. It has not, however, been about race as we most often envision it, as part and parcel of...

Midland, TX (LifeNews.com) -- A Chinese couple is happily living in Texas after escaping both religious persecution and a potential forced abortion for breaking China's one-child family planning law. Bob and Heidi Fu are but one example of the human rights problems Chinese people face despite China's holding the Summer Olympics. When Fu and his wife discovered they had become pregnant with their first child -- without getting permission from the government -- they knew they had to leave the country. "My wife was pregnant without the pregnancy permission card. You know in China the one child policy [applies] even...

As the threat of recession looms, some people are searching for extra cash to supplement their incomes. People used to use their homes as piggy banks, but the mortgage crisis has led many to tap into their 401(k)s and now there's even a new debit card that lets you get money from your retirement savings just as you would a checking account. "Good Morning America" financial contributor Mellody Hobson tells you the smartest way to handle your money and gives you the pros and cons of the new 401(k) debit card plan. 1. How does the 401(k) debit card...

FORT WRIGHT, Ky. — Police in northern Kentucky arrested a woman who officers say traded sex for gasoline. Police in Fort Wright set up a prostitution sting and said one of the suspects they arrested engaged in sex for a $100 gasoline card and other gifts. Angela Eversole, 34, of Fort Wright is charged with prostitution and doing business without an occupational license. She pleaded not guilty at a Tuesday arraignment. Police also arrested a man they said paid Eversole. He is 50-year-old Kenneth Nowak of Avon, Indiana.

I use a prepaid calling card for long distance. Does anyone know of one where I do not have to press 1 for English? MCI-Verizon require it.

Hacker gives live video demonstrationFollowing on from last week’s story about how the MIFARE Classic’s RFID chip, as used in London Transport’s Oyster card, had been compromised, BoingBoing has gone a step further. It gave a video demonstration of a hacker demonstrating how easy it is to extract details from a RFID-equipped credit card. In the video, the hacker Pablos Holman boasts that he is able to “decrypt the data” using an “eight dollar reader from eBay”. One quick swipe of the reporter’s American Express card later and he appears to have done just that, with the cardholder’s name and...

A new debit card that lets consumers use ATMs to withdraw money from their 401(k) plans is drawing a sharp reaction from financial planners. The ReservePlus card is marketed by Reserve Solutions Inc., a New York financial firm that says it has 10,000 cardholders already. The debit cards allow cardholders to take out loans from their employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement funds. Normally, restrictions on the funds discourage account holders from making withdrawals before they are 59½ years old. Early withdrawals from 401(k) plans come with taxes and fees, which could deprive account holders of their nest eggs if they fail to...

We start the year in Britain with a challenge to our essential nature, for 2008 might turn out to be the year when we decide to rip up the Magna Carta. Among the basic civil rights in this country, there has always been, at least in theory, an inclination towards liberal democracy, which includes a tolerance of an individual's right to privacy. We are born free and have the right to decide what freedom means, each for ourselves, and to have control over our outward existence, yet that will no longer be the case if we agree to identity cards.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Many South Carolina Republicans got a bogus holiday greeting card this week, purported to be from White House hopeful Mitt Romney, that cites some controversial passages of the Book of Mormon. "We wish you and your family a happy holiday season and a joyful New Year. The Romney family," the card says. The last page features a photograph of a temple above a box that says "Paid For By The Boston Massachusetts Temple." Romney's campaign said it had nothing to do with the cards, postmarked Thursday from Columbia with a 41-cent stamp, and Boston Temple President Ken...

Family and sports — likely in that order. Those were John Jay Barry's greatest loves. Though he passed away some 20 years ago, the den of his home on Main Street still personifies the nostalgic renaissance man who used to occupy it. Beside his desk (a deep mahogany brown wood encasement that stretches from the floor to the ceiling and nearly wall to wall) is a latch hook rug with the Brown University seal. An authentic Lionel train snakes across the top shelf of the desk, next to a series of one of a kind hand made ships. In...

Barbara Walters likes to receive Christmas greetings from high-profile celebrities and leaders, but apparently not if they refer to the Bible. On Thursday’s episode of ABC’s The View, Walters expressed dismay that President and Mrs. Bush would send out greetings containing Scripture. During the segment, Walters showed the other gals some of the “highfalutin Christmas cards,” and explained the White House card: “First of all, let me show you the cover of the White House, which is nice and bland…So that’s pleasant enough. This is what interested me, that it is a religious Christmas card. Usually in the past when...

Credit card debt accelerates Federal Reserve reports that consumer borrowing rose in October reflecting an increased reliance on credit cards. December 7 2007: 4:35 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumer borrowing rose in October at a slightly faster rate than the previous month as shoppers continued to depend on their credit cards to finance purchases. The Federal Reserve reported Friday that consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in October, faster than the 1.6 percent growth rate for September. The gain reflected an acceleration in the growth of credit card debt which offset a second straight month...

I bought an ACER P221W LCD moniter to replace an old monitor on one of the children's school pc. I thought I would get a spiffy monitor so we could watch DVDs through the computer since our DVD player is attached to a 25+ year old 12 inch tv. Big upgrade for us. Anyhow I brought it home and it will not perform optiminally it is at 1360x768 instead of the 1680x1050 that it is capable of. I have a S3 Graphics Pro Savage card in it that is no longer supported by S3. This card uses some main memory...

Your credit card payment just doubled The big players have raised minimum payments from 2% to 4% of your balance, meaning you'll get out of debt much quicker. Here's how to cope until that day. Good news: Credit card companies are doubling their minimum payments. Bad news: Credit card companies are doubling their minimum payments. Huh? So far, MBNA, Citibank and Bank of America have announced they are doubling minimum monthly payments on credit card balances from 2% to 4%. Others are expected to follow suit quickly. To some cardholders, that could be seen as a good thing. To others...

The identity card scheme will become a "great British institution" on a par with the railways in the 19th Century, Home Office minister Liam Byrne says. He said it was "time to get on with it" and predicted that the National Identity Scheme "will soon become part of the fabric of British life". But plans to "multiply the uses" of the ID scheme would mean there should be stronger accountability to Parliament. Current ID trials include employment, age and criminal records checks. The Home Office intends to introduce biometric identification for foreign nationals in 2008, with the first ID cards...

CHICAGO- Bubba Ludwig can't walk, talk or open the refrigerator door—but he does have his very own Illinois gun permit. The 10-month-old, whose given name is Howard David Ludwig, was issued a firearm owner's identification card after his father, Howard Ludwig, paid the $5 fee and filled out the application, not expecting to actually get one. The card lists the baby's height (2 feet, 3 inches), weight (20 pounds) and has a scribble where the signature should be. With some exceptions, the cards are required of any Illinois residents purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition within the state. There are...

It's not going to be the best movie you see this year, but it might be the most important. Amazing Grace is the story of William Wilberforce, the man who was most responsible (though he certainly did not work alone) for abolishing the slave trade and, ultimately, slavery itself, beginning with the British Empire, but ultimately around the world. The trouble with a story like this is that while Wilberforce's effort was heroic, fighting in what seemed to be a losing cause — yet one that could not, morally, be abandoned — the great moments consisted of speeches and...

Here's a story you haven't heard, and you should have. An intelligence source, working for a government agency. He's not a spy, he's an analyst. He uses computers to crunch numbers and at the end of his work, out pops the truth that was hiding in the original data. Let's call him "Mann." The trouble with Mann is, he has an ideology. He knows what he wants his results to be. And the original numbers aren't giving him that data. So the agency he works for won't be able to persuade people to fight the war he wants to...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Nashville pastor is questioning why Gov. Phil Bredesen chose to paint a picture of a teenage Muslim girl for his annual Christmas card.Bredesen's card shows a young Muslim girl that he met in Afghanistan last March. Pastor Maury Davis of Cornerstone Church told WKRN-TV in Nashville that the governor's message is convoluted and could be interpreted as an insult to Christianity. On the back of the card, Bredesen wrote that it may seem odd to put a portrait of a Muslim on a Christmas card. But he said that the season should serve as a reminder...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2006 -- World Wrestling Entertainment personalities delivered a milestone “thank you” message to a U.S. servicemember in Baghdad today. WWE champion John Cena and Army 1st Lt. Shannon Terry talk to reporters after Cena and his WWE colleagues delivered a special letter of support to Terry in Baghdad, Dec. 8. The letter was the 2.6 millionth letter in California teenager Shauna Fleming’s “A Million Thanks” campaign to collect 2.6 million letters of support for the troops. The 2.6 million letters symbolize one for every servicemember in the nation’s active and reserve component military forces. Courtesy photo  '(Click...

This could be a first. A leading MSM member uses the airwaves to upbraid [fellow?] Democrats for being insufficiently loyal to a leading party light. Former Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card was Matt Lauer's guest on this morning's 'Today.' Matt was intent on wangling from Card an admission that the Kerry comments were a mistake:"He made a joke and he said he blew the joke and it sounded as though he questioned the intelligence of U.S. Troops in Iraq. Look me in the eye and tell me with even a fraction of your heart you think John Kerry meant...

Here's an interesting scene from Bob Woodward's new book. It's the summer of 2004 and George Tenet has resigned as CIA chief: [White House chief of staff] Andy Card called [Deputy Secretary of State Richard] Armitage to see if he was interested in taking over the CIA. No, Armitage replied emphatically. "Can I ask the reason? We're disappointed." Armitage replied that he could give the reason but he would prefer not to because it might hurt Cards feelings. Card knew the problem for Armitage was Cheney and Rumsfeld. He nonetheless asked Powell if there was a way to persuade Armitage....

The political fallout over claims that the Bush administration was riven by infighting over the Iraq war deepened yesterday when the president's former chief of staff confirmed that he twice sought to sack Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary.Andrew Card said George W Bush rebuffed his and others' demands to sideline Mr Rumsfeld, who had been accused of mishandling post-war security. The confirmation yesterday triggered talk in Washington that alternative candidates were being sounded out to lead the Pentagon. The latest bout of speculation began with claims in a new book, State of Denial, by the Watergate journalist Bob Woodward. Mr...

Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. "Andy” Card, Jr. has denied Bob Woodward’s claim that he and first lady Laura Bush tried to get Donald Rumsfeld fired as defense secretary. Card told NewsMax’s chief Washington correspondent Ronald Kessler that the assertion in Woodward’s book "State of Denial" that he thought Rumsfeld should have been the one to leave the administration instead of himself was also "not true.” Card left as chief of staff in April. According to an excerpt to be published in the Washington Post on Sunday, "State of Denial" says, "He [Card] was leaving. And the...

People who need people are in luck. People who need tickets might be screwed. A host of Barbra Streisand fans will not be singing a happy tune Tuesday in light of Ticketmaster's announcement that more than a thousand tickets for Streisand shows in Atlantic City, New York, Las Vegas and several other venues were purchased using stolen credit card numbers from the company's Website, and therefore are no longer valid. The ticket peddler said that all Streisand tickets found to have been purchased with bogus info have been invalidated, leaving those who purchased any of the tickets in question through...

FUN WITH THE ACLU Wanna have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD! As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN, card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it. Here's the Address, just don't be rude or crude. ACLU 125 Broad Street 18th Floor New York, NY 10004 Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions.. So spend 39...

Christmas cards! Yes, Christmas cards. This is coming early (really early) so that you can get ready to include an important address to your list. Read on........ What a GREAT idea! Fun with the ACLU...... Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year. As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN, card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it Here's the Address, just don't be rude or...

WASHINGTON -- Everybody in Washington's Republican political community was well aware that any changes George W. Bush made in his White House staff would not constitute a shake-up. What nobody expected was that Josh Bolten, in essence a professional bureaucrat, would be promoted to chief of staff. Yet, this selection becomes understandable as a confirmation of Karl Rove's supremacy in the White House.Rove holds the mundane titles of senior adviser to the president and deputy chief of staff, but scarcely anything happens in the Bush administration without his approval. Now he is more influential than ever. Andrew Card, the departing...

Will President Bush’s decision to replace his chief of staff improve his ratings? Ye 8% 10083 votes No 92% 112126 votes Total: 122209 votes

Now the question is whether Card wanted to quit his job or whether he needed to. The White House announced Card’s resignation on Tuesday and his replacement, budget director Joshua Bolten. Card first offered his resignation three weeks ago, according to the White House. That was just after the first polls showed just how much the White House was bleeding support after the Dubai ports story. A CBS poll gave Bush a job approval rating of only 34 percent and a personal favorability rating of 29 percent. (NEWSWEEK’s poll later showed the president with a 36-percent approval rating.) Bush won...

Andy Card has resigned.

The president and first lady met in the Oval Office with representatives from various organizations honored for their support of the U.S. military. President Bush welcomed Peru's President Toledo to the White House. Click here for his remarks. Bush addressed the National Newspaper Association Conference. Click here to read his remarks. He commented on the port debate. Click here for article "Norton is resigning after five years as" Interior Secretary, "the Associated Press has learned. Norton planned to announce her decision Friday, March 10, 2006, a senior government official and another source familiar with her decision told the AP," per...

If you were feeling a bit empty this Christmas holiday season because the secular greetings issued from the White House left you a little bit empty, we have a special treat for you, guaranteed to fill you up with all the love and warmth that is the Democrat Holiday Spirit. Nobody should ever have to suffer the annual pangs of winter holiday capitalism without the joy and peace brought about by the happy Christmas holiday donkey. WOW! Now that's what I call Christmas Holiday Spirit! How could I possibly have made it through this Christmas holiday season without that...