Free Republic

Extraordinary and beautiful examples of toroidal vortices produced by dolphins, beluga whales, humpback whales, volcanoes, hydrogen bombs, and man. A toroidal vortex, also called a vortex ring, is a region of rotating fluid moving through the same or different fluid where the flow pattern takes on a toroidal (doughnut) shape. The movement of the fluid is about the poloidal or circular axis of the doughnut, in a twisting vortex motion. Examples of this phenomenon are a smoke ring or a microburst. Vortex rings were first mathematically analysed by the German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz, in his paper of 1867 On...

What if you read this chilling headline, and further discovered that it was even worse than initially thought . . . that every patient upon whom this surgeon operated died as a result of the surgeon's incompetence? But, imagine even further that this surgeon had a blog, and on that blog were statements like, “I am, surgeon who does 99%, of work advancing medical, science,” and the posts were full of scientific falsehoods and medical impossibilities, and usually included pleas for donations so that the surgeon could “operate” on more unsuspecting patients? No rational adult would ever state that this...

Is it a fair question to ask... Is Mormonism Christian or is it not? If you care enough to respond and tell me it's not a fair question, please explain why not.

The Giants won against a cheater.

Deep snows and blizzard-like conditions have combined to create a "moose emergency" in Southcentral. The group tasked with recovering moose hit by vehicles on local roads, Alaska Moose Federation, was rolling almost non-stop Thursday and Friday, responding to at least 15 collisions in 20 hours. "We had one truck with two moose on it," AMF Executive Director Gary Olson said. "Literally, a bull was hit in Eagle River on a curve, then a cow was hit by another car. They were (loaded) on the truck and we delivered them to a local church." Just a week after taking over as...

Heavy snows in parts of Alaska are taking a deadly toll on moose as deep snowdrifts force the animals into hazardous detours on plowed roads and railroad tracks, prompting one group to seek declaration of a “moose emergency.” State and local officials said the ambling animals are being killed in increasing numbers in rail and road collisions. In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough north of Anchorage, 315 moose have been killed in vehicle so far this winter, said Tim Peltier, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The average is roughly 270 for the winter, he said. The state-owned...

First, turn on your speakers, or headphones. Then click this, to set the right mood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2JfY8iUkvE&feature=related     Okay, is it playing? Good….                 Do any of you remember when I said my last girlfriend, turned me off of love forever? Well, go figure. Last night I met the love of my life. She and I will have beautiful times together. Tender, private moments. Moments of hilarity. Special times. We will take pictures together. We will go places together. Eventually, we will become as one. Here’s her picture: Her name is Egg Bacon...

<p>Thank you, FR, for the truly marvelous entertainment (as I haven't been laid in so long I get no other entertainment other than watching people on here like a perv stalker) . While lurking tonight (the internet version of peeping in your windows) for the first time in ages, the amount of schadenfreude I'm experiencing is bordering on orgasmic (which is the closest I've gotten to the real thing in years).</p>

Over the last week, several people that worked in the Reagan administration have come forward and countered former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s claim that he is a “Reagan Republican.” These people say Gingrich “wasn’t on board with a lot of what President Ronald Reagan tried to accomplish during his two terms.” And although that claim has been disputed by other Reagan administration officials, former Reagan communications director Pat Buchanan told “The McLaughlin Group” this weekend that Gingrich wasn’t seen favorably by those in the administration. “[I]n the Reagan White House, Newt Gingrich was considered quite frankly by a lot of...

In the increasingly rough Republican campaign, no candidate has wrapped himself in the mantle of Ronald Reagan more often than Newt Gingrich. “I worked with President Reagan to change things in Washington,” “we helped defeat the Soviet empire,” and “I helped lead the effort to defeat Communism in the Congress” are typical claims by the former speaker of the House. The claims are misleading at best. In the Reagan years I was an assistant secretary of state — Mr. Gingrich voted with the president regularly, but equally often spewed insulting rhetoric at Reagan, his top aides, and his policies to...

In the new Animal Planet reality TV show optimistically titled "Finding Bigfoot," a team of experts examines video of an alleged Sasquatch spotted in the Canadian Rockies. The video, shot by a man named Todd Standing, shows something large and dark, standing atop a wooded ridge and then ducking back behind a bush. It could pretty much be anything, and when the experts concluded that the subject was probably not a Bigfoot, Standing expressed his frustration: "No video is ever going to be evidence, ever. It's never going to be good enough…" Standing, like many Bigfoot researchers, misses the problem:...

Has anyone noticed that rats and Occupy Protestors have some sort of linkage? I mean a spiritual bridge or karmic connection. Really. I didn't see it until I was exposed to some of the news stories; you know the ones I mean. “Rat population has ‘exploded’ around Occupy D.C. Camps” Washington Post 1-9-12. This link seems to have influenced DC so much that rats must now be relocated rather than killed; almost as if they were actual Occupy Protesters. Anyway that caused me to muse to my self – what are the similarities and differences between Rats and Occupy Protesters...

An agitated moose ran down and stomped a well-known Bush pilot from Willow, but he was saved when his wife grabbed a shovel from their pickup truck and whacked the big animal until it backed off.

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Going to the bathroom will never be the same for one local woman, not since she was bitten by a water moccasin who was apparently hiding in her toilet. Alicia Bailey spent three days in the hospital. She's now at home but she's not resting comfortably. She remembers what happened the night she got up to go to the bathroom. "Walked in (to the bathroom) opened up the lid to the toilet and got bit by the water moccasin on the leg." She was bitten once on the thigh, and given the size of the bite on...

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Newt Gingrich on Friday backed at least a portion of the Dream Act, saying that he would grant a path to citizenship to illegal immigrant youths who agree to sign up and serve in the U.S. military. That’s a much tighter standard than the full Dream Act, which President Obama wants. That legislation would allow legal status and an eventual path to citizenship for children and young adults who join the military, but would also apply to those who go to college — a much broader class of people. “I am opposed to anybody who came here...

What does the cheeseburger say about our modern food economy? A lot, actually. Over the past several years blogger Waldo Jaquith (http://waldo.jaquith.org) set out to make a cheeseburger from scratch, to no avail. “Further reflection revealed that it’s quite impractical—nearly impossible—to make a cheeseburger from scratch,” he writes. “Tomatoes are in season in the late summer. Lettuce is in season in spring and fall. Large mammals are slaughtered in early winter. The process of making such a burger would take nearly a year and would inherently involve omitting some core cheeseburger ingredients. It would be wildly expensive—requiring a trio of...

ON this Martin Luther King day, it is customary to review the progress African Americans have made in striding towards a level of equality with the majority races.But I wish to speak of the unsung heros of the Civil Rights movement: Velociraptors.I, as a velociraptor in a wool suit, have experienced HORRIFIC discrimination since the day I first poked my snout out of the stout eggshell that served as my womb.The level of discrimination a dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Cretaceous faces, is unreal. Hell, I walk onto a MARTA train ...and everyone screams and runs, and MARTA police are...

I know there a a lot of FReepers smarter than I, so here goes...got this presented to me for help & I for the life of me am stumped 4 [4 - 5x] = 6x + 4 says answer is x= 10/7 can someone show how to solve? Thanks in advance....

Better than Obama.

Not sure which is which witch, itch? Did I stutter?

This guy is hilarious! Video at link.

Trillion dollar Lawsuit

Anyone?! Can we even recognize conservatism anymore?

A seven-month-old moose has decided that a New Brunswick community is her home, and will even enter homes if doors are left open. The moose, who is called Ellie, was one of two calves born to a cow in June. The next day, when ploughing was being done in the field where they were born, the mother took off with one calf. The Ruff family began caring for the calf and notified the Department of Natural Resources. Game wardens took the animal away once and released her into the wild, but she returned to Giberson Settlement. "We do not enclose...

ORANGE CITY, Fla.- Authorities in Florida said a man who awoke to the sound of his dog barking grabbed a gun from beneath his pillow and accidentally shot himself in the arm. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said John Ebberts of 16th Street, near Orange City, told officers his dog woke him up by barking at 2:32 a.m. and he apparently accidentally hit the trigger while pulling his Bond Arms Snake Slayer .410 shotshell/.45 Colt derringer from beneath his pillow, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported Thursday. Ebberts shot himself in the left forearm with a .410 shotshell. He was taken...

THE mass attack by seabirds on a coastal town that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Birds may finally have been explained. Biologists have blamed toxic algae eaten by the birds for damaging their brains and making them so aggressive that they dived at people, buildings and moving cars in Capitola, California, in 1961. Hitchcock's film, released two years later, was inspired partly by the event and partly by a short story by Daphne du Maurier about an unexplained avian attack on a Cornish farm worker and his family. In the Californian incident, hundreds of normally unaggressive sooty shearwater gulls suddenly,...

Anchorage, Alaska, probably has more wildlife within its borders than any other city in the world. Bears, lynx and king salmon all coexist with city dwellers — peacefully, for the most part — so it's no shock when the snow piles up in the mountains and hundreds of moose descend on the city each winter. But learning to live with the quirky beasts takes some patience. A few weeks ago, my husband, Dave, was biking home from work late at night. A thin layer of snow blanketed our street, making it hard to miss a winding trail of fresh moose...

Merry Christmas everyone! My sincere hope is that all of you, each and every one, will have a joyous Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Just wondering if any others out there are spending this sacred night solo. Besides my trusty Boxer, Django the Wonderdog, and a new edition to the household, a gorgeous long-haired black cat I have dubbed Jackson, I have the house to myself all evening and night. Tomorrow, it will be family wall-to-wall at mom's house, complete with gifts and an excellent multi-calorie dinner. But, tonight, I'll enjoy a quiet supper and a nice cappuccino, watching...

Mark Levin (aka: Groucho Marx) spends a lot of his air time bragging about his ratings, what he won't tell you is that his ratings in LA were really bad (he only does well on 50k clear channel watts stations, what an achievement...) so much so that KABC finally came to their senses and replaced Levin with a live local show leaving levin's show to be tape delayed. Levin won't tell you that , so i will.

2011 NFL WEEK 16 LIVE THREADTHU, DEC 22 Houston at Indianapolis 8:20 PM NFL Lucas Oil Stadium SAT, DEC 24 Oakland at Kansas City 1:00 PM CBS Arrowhead Stadium Jacksonville at Tennessee 1:00 PM CBS LP Field Miami at New England 1:00 PM CBS Gillette Stadium Arizona at Cincinnati 1:00 PM FOX Paul Brown Stadium Denver at Buffalo 1:00 PM CBS Ralph Wilson Stadium St. Louis at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM FOX Heinz Field NY Giants at NY Jets 1:00 PM FOX MetLife Stadium Minnesota at Washington 1:00 PM FOX FedEx Field Tampa Bay at Carolina 1:00 PM FOX Bank of...

Well there goes the Packers perfect season, oh well it takes the pressure off of staying unbeaten, besides don't want to repeat what the Patriots did a few years back.

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., A New York state pollster said its survey of U.S. adults indicates "whatever" reigns for the third consecutive year as the most annoying word in conversation. The Marist Poll of 1,026 adults, conducted via telephone Nov. 8-10, found 38 percent of respondents consider "whatever" to be the most annoying word used in casual conversation while 20 percent said they disliked "like" and 19 percent cited "you know." The pollster said 11 percent chose "just sayin'" as the most annoying and 7 percent hate hearing "seriously." Marist said "whatever" also topped the poll last year with 39 percent of...

ESCONDIDO, Calif.,The owner of a California landscaping company is selling a tree cutting from a church grounds with an image in the grain resembling a cross. Jim Rants, owner of Star Landscape Maintenance, said the wood was cut from a pine tree at the 1st Congregational Church of Escondido, and one of his workers, Salvador Maya, noticed the image of a cross in the wood, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. Rants said a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the "miracle wood tree cross" will go to the church.

HOPATCONG, N.J., Authorities in New Jersey said a repairman working in a basement was shocked when he turned around to discover a 500-pound black bear behind him. The Division of Fish and Wildlife said the repairman was working Wednesday in Frank Annacone's Hopatcong basement when he heard a growl behind him and turned around to see the bear, WNYW-TV, New York, reported Thursday. A Division of Fish and Wildlife crew arrived and tranquilized the bear, which stumbled around the neighborhood before losing consciousness. Officials said the animal will be relocated. Annacone said he does not know how the bear got...

An acute butter shortage in Norway, one of the world's richest countries, has left people worrying how to bake their Christmas goodies with store shelves emptied and prices through the roof. The shortfall, expected to last into January, amounts to between 500 and 1,000 tonnes, said Tine, Norway's main dairy company, while online sellers have offered 500-gramme packs for up to 350 euros ($465)... Last Friday, customs officers stopped a Russian at the Norwegian-Swedish border and seized 90 kilos (198 pounds) of butter stashed in his car.

WASHINGTON, - U.S. President Barack Obama set off metal detectors Friday as he inspected a gatehouse on his way back to the White House from a party at Blair House. "I just wanted to see what it was like getting in here," Obama said. "I think I beeped a couple of times." Obama shook hands with gatehouse guards at the Northwest Gate and talked football as he returned to the White House from a holiday party with National Security Council staff across Pennsylvania Avenue at Blair House. As Obama walked through the metal detector, it went off. A guard told...

Western Newfoundland couple followed trail of young animal's blood CBC News Posted: A western Newfoundland couple used the hide of a freshly killed moose overnight Tuesday to keep warm after getting lost in the woods during a hunting trip near Gros Morne National Park. Stephen and Sheila Joyce said they lost their way after wounding a young moose and began following the trail of its blood. Shivering and soaking wet, they eventually caught up with the wounded animal. “My wife thought it would be a good idea to skin the calf and we could use the skin as a blanket....

EDINBURGH, Scotland - Police in Scotland have distributed a 45-page document to catering firms seeking to serve beat officers describing the desired contents of their lunches. Lothian and Borders Police created the 10,000-word document in October to spell out the precise requirements for the sandwiches, chips and bottled water served to officers working the beat at Edinburgh soccer games, The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday. The police, who have a budget of some $109,400 to spend on 7,500 packed lunches per year, said the sandwiches must be served on 11-inch baguettes, 75 percent of which must be on white bread and...

Okay, so I know a lot of yous are creative: My wife's Christmas party is next week and I HAVE to attend (after all I put her through all year, it's the least I can do). Thing of it is, her co-workers are really stuffy and humorless, so it seems like the longest two hours of the year. This year, though, they're having it at a kareoke place. So, what I need is a famous song where I can change the lyrics to being about Jerry Sandusky. Suggestions and lyrics, please.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- Airport security agents say a replica gun is a replica gun, even if it was just a design on a Florida teenager's purse. The Transportation Security Administration says its agents acted appropriately when they ordered 17-year-old Vanessa Gibbs to check her designer purse at the Norfolk, Va., airport because of the image of a pistol it had on it. The agency said "replica weapons have been prohibited since 2002," and that means even a very obvious replica, said News4 Jax.com in Jacksonville, Fla. Gibbs remains flabbergasted at the hassle, which she says caused her to miss her flight...

Papa ooo Mow Mow

Ron Paul: Wrong about many things, but not everything.

ITHACA, N.Y. - Researchers said the official New York state insect, the nine-spotted ladybug, is making a comeback after a 29-year absence. The Lost Ladybug Project, an effort led by Cornell University entomologist John Losey, said volunteer Peter Priolo found a nine-spotted ladybug in Amagansett July 30 and further searches at the location in August found enough of the insects to establish a thriving colony in Losey's Ithaca lab, The New York Times reported Friday. Losey, who said only 10 nine-spotted ladybugs were found in all of North America in the 10 years leading up to 2006, said he is...

As we prep to overindulge this Thanksgiving holiday, there are certain signs of excess we can’t deny – an extra helping of buttery mashed potatoes, a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and perhaps late-night second helpings are all inevitable. But a slice of $93 gold cheese isn’t something you’d typically see on an American Thanksgiving spread. Americans love to double their calorie intake on Thanksgiving, but doubling their price for cheese is a bit much. Of course, the steep price of Long Clawson’s White Stilton Gold might have something to do with the real gold flakes in it....

A woman was injured Wednesday when her car ran into an injured moose that had already been struck by another vehicle. Phoebe Payne, 70, of Mount Vernon, was driving south on U.S. Route 201 when her 2005 Toyota Camry ran into a moose, according to a statement from Detective Lt. Carl Gottardi, with the Somerset County Sheriff's Office. The car, which Payne swerved in an attempt to avoid the moose, ended up in a ditch. It was destroyed. Payne was taken by ambulance to the Jackman Region Health Center with non life-threatening injures. The yearling moose was killed. Before Payne's...

Police have arrested a 30-year-old woman suspected of biting two people at a Denver convenience store. The incident occurred about 10:30 p.m. Monday at the Barn Store at 4650 Tower Road. Police say it's one of the most unusual crimes they've seen. Emi Leyonia Coleman is accused of biting a store employee on the neck after asking the woman for a hug. She faces felony charges for the attacks. “I reached over (the counter) and gave her a hug. She had her face here (on her shoulder). I didn’t think anything of it. She latched on it. She was shaking...