Free Republic

Fracking, a slang term for hydraulic fracturing, is a mining procedure that fractures rocks by injecting fluids and sand into cracks to force them apart, making it easier to extract oil and natural gas. Some say it can pollute drinking water and farm lands and even lead to earthquakes. But Robert W. Chase, professor and chairman of the Dept. of Petroleum Engineering and Geology at Marietta College (Ohio), believes otherwise. In fact, he took the time to shed some light on recent myths about fracking that have sprung up. Myth No. 1: Fracking could contaminate aquifers that supply drinking water....

Abortion in the United States has claimed the lives of over 54 million babies since its legalization in 1973 – this we know. It has stolen grandchildren; future friends; future spouses; and future doctors, humanitarians, and congresswomen. It’s an American tragedy, and we are witnessing the beginning stages of its long-awaited demise. Unfortunately, in addition to stealing the lives of innocent children, abortion has caused a great deal of damage to American culture. 1. Children Became a Curse If there is anything that population control committees and pro-aborts have succeeded at, it is convincing most of America that children are...

Dr. Mark I. Evans is known around the world for his work in genetics, prenatal screening and diagnosis, and the selective reduction of pregnancies. Of course, “selective reduction” is code for the choosing and killing of one or more babies in a multiple pregnancy. You don’t reduce children – you kill them. But Dr. Evans prefers to refer to this procedure as “pregnancy management.” He admits that, in the first reduction he performed, he “stabbed two of the fetuses with a needle.” Today, the general technique – and the one used by Dr. Evans – is plunging a needle filled...

Man Ordered to Dance “Moonwalk” at Gunpoint, Police Say Just remember always to think twice before ordering someone to dance the “moonwalk” at the barrel of a gun. An Idaho man has been hit with a felony assault charge for allegedly forcing another man to perform Michael Jackson’s signature “moonwalk” while having a rifle pointed at him, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported. Police accused John Ernest Cross, 30, of using an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle while issuing the bizarre order to mimic a dance the late King of Pop debuted back in 1983. Cross said during an initial court appearance...

Just seeing if I'll get the zot. I can't stand mittens but I hate bamby worse. I'm a automatic withdrawal monthly donor (full disclosure - only 5 bucks because that's all I can afford). Bamby has to go. If mittens is elected and does what we all expect he'll do (lie), it'll only strengthen us. We'll get rid of him too. If it's the zot; then, oh well. No hard feelings towards Jim or fellow FReepers. Kind Regards, Toadman

Green clouds over Moscow spark range of theories Mysterious green clouds have been spotted over the Russian capital, sparking fears of a chemical disaster and even some doomsday theories. ­But the Emergencies Ministry is advising the public to calm down. It says the clouds are actually composed of birch pollen, not of chemicals from an allegedly burning factory in the Moscow region, as some reported. Some people, however, got so scared that even the official comments could not convince them. Russian Twitter users have been posting alarming messages like “Moscow schools are closed because of the blast! Children are sent...

All of us are very aware of what to expect to happen with the economy for the next six months. NOTHING!!. Working,Unemployed&Angry Americans will not spend,{aside from the bare neccessaties} Americans will not invest large in large sums into the stock market. America is in a state of fear,and will be through the election season. We are already seeing the evidence. 2.0 GNP expected for 2012? And no light at the end of the tunnel for the 10 to 11% Unemployed. Thanks alot O'Bozo !!, Ann and Mitt Will Look Foward To Showing You Moochers The Door in 2013.

Wildly bizarre half-plant/half-animal creature - with a lovely name "Eastern Emerald Elysia" This beautiful leaf-shaped sea slug Elysia chlorotica lives in shallow pools along Atlantic coast of North America, eats algae with gusto - one meal is enough for its lifetime! - and by using photosynthesis like any other plant, shatters the most basic definition between the "animal" and "plant" kingdoms. It may not be "easy being green", but for this slug it turned out to be highly efficient! This is the ONLY natural example of genes shared between the living kingdoms of "plants" and "animals" Shaped like a leaf?...

Hippies Failing Badly!TM Please let me know if you want on or off the Whale Wars ping list. The hippies return tonight at 8 EST and 9 EST the first being a Whale Wars Operation Bluefin And then a Whale Wars Spinoff - Whale Wars Viking Shores.

Invisible dark matter particles may regularly pass through our bodies, and dozens to thousands of these particles may be colliding with atoms inside us every year, according to a new calculation. However, radiation from these impacts is unlikely to cause cancer, investigators added. Dark matter is one of the greatest scientific mysteries of our time — an invisible substance thought to make up five-sixths of all matter in the universe. Scientists think it might be composed of things called weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs, that interact normally with gravity but very weakly with all the other known forces of...

A big increase in reports of Asian tiger shrimp along the U.S. Southeast coast and in the Gulf of Mexico has federal biologists worried the species is encroaching on native species' territory. The shrimp are known to eat their smaller cousins, and sightings of the massive crustaceans have gone up tenfold in the last year, biologists say. The black-and-white-striped shrimp can grow 13 inches long and weigh a quarter-pound, compared to eight inches and a bit over an ounce for domestic white, brown and pink shrimp.

Do Islamic extremist groups still pose a mortal threat to the United States? Based on recent events, it would seem many senior US officials believe the answer is no. Just this week, the Obama administration claimed that the War on Terror, a catch-all term for the series of post-9/11 conflicts between civilization and violent radical Islam, has come to an end. But a new GBTV Documentary, “Rumors of War III: Target U.S.” shatters this claim. It makes the case that not only has the threat from radical Islam endured– it is in fact growing and more imminent with each passing...

Almost a million images of New York and its municipal operations have been made public for the first time on the internet. The city's Department of Records officially announced the debut of the photo database. Culled from the Municipal Archives collection of more than 2.2 million images going back to the mid-1800s, the 870,000 photographs feature all manner of city oversight --from stately ports and bridges to grisly gangland killings.

Amanda Wakeley said the Duchess had become such a powerful trend-setter, particularly in the US, that she bore comparison with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the former wife of President John F Kennedy. “I think she really has the potential to become a modern-day Jackie O,” she said. “She has a big impact on fashion. It always amuses me how much more, despite her being British, how much more the impact is in America. “Whatever she chooses to wear is neat and quite youthful and it’s always occasion appropriate and that’s hard. This is a big role that she has and she...

This is your Turner Classic Movie channel alert! Tonight...Stage Door (1937), 8pm est "Women at a theatrical boarding house try to make their big break happen."

Bumper Sticker Versions Sources: The Lefty Lexicon Anti-Lib Stickers

Matilda Klein is 94 years old, and danced during the World War II big-band era. She’s still dancing, in competition no less.

Bo Xilai Alleged Financier: George Soros BEIJING: Billionaire oil tycoon George Soros, an executive board member of the International Crisis Group, has played a major role in deposed Chinese Communist Chongqing Boss, Bo Xilai’s rise to fame and fortune in Dalian and Chongqing. ... http://www.dallasblog.com/201204241008984/dallas-blog/bo-xilai-alleged-financier-george-soros.html

While greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane warm the Earth's surface, tiny particles in the air can have the reverse effect on regional scales. "What we've shown is that particulate pollution over the eastern United States has delayed the warming that we would expect to see from increasing greenhouse gases," says lead author Eric Leibensperger (Ph.D. '11), who completed the work as a graduate student in applied physics at SEAS. "For the sake of protecting human health and reducing acid rain, we've now cut the emissions that lead to particulate pollution," he adds, "but these cuts have caused the...