Free Republic

This election highlights a growing phenomenon: non- Jewish Republican candidates outflanking Jewish Democrats in pro-Israel positions. When an Orthodox Jewish, kippa-wearing Democratic candidate might lose a congressional election in the most Jewish (and 75% Democratic) congressional district in America – a seat occupied by Democrats for nearly a century – to a non-Jewish Republican, something significant is going on. And Golda Koppelman knows what that something is. New York’s 9th Congressional District (Brooklyn and Queens) is gearing up for the September 13, 2011 special election to fill the seat vacated by disgraced Democrat Anthony Weiner. Koppelman, a Holocaust survivor who...

BOSTON—The number of Earth-like extrasolar planets suitable for harboring advanced life could be 10 times higher than has been assumed until now, according to a new modeling study. The finding contradicts the prevailing notion that a terrestrial planet needs a large moon to stabilize the orientation of its axis and, hence, its climate. In 1993, French mathematicians Jacques Laskar and Philippe Robutel showed that Earth’s large moon has a stabilizing effect on our planet’s climate. Without the moon, gravitational perturbations from other planets, notably nearby Venus and massive Jupiter, would greatly disturb Earth’s axial tilt, with vast consequences for the...

A radical reformulation of quantum mechanics suggests that the universe has a set destiny and its pre-existing fate reaches back in time to influence the past. It could explain the origin of life, dark energy and solve other cosmic conundrums.The universe has a destiny—and this set fate could be reaching backwards in time and combining with influences from the past to shape the present. It’s a mind-bending claim, but some cosmologists now believe that a radical reformulation of quantum mechanics in which the future can affect the past could solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, including how life arose....

Yesterday, Fox News reported the hearings held by Senator Joe Lieberman with cabinet officials concerning a shortage of flu vaccine. I'm sitting in Afghanistan not getting much broadcast TV news. I wanted to find out more, so I searched Google News for related articles. It turns out that as of this writing, the rest of the media is not reporting this event, at least in print. Try this. Go to the Google search page, click on the "News" tab. Now enter "Joe Lieberman".

The meta-message of Cass Sunstein's new book delivers a warning to those who would spread Internet "rumors" about Barack Obama. The Regulatory Czar's latest book is entitled Rumors. It purports to be about how rumors spread. To that end, it's full of remarkable insights such as "Many of us accept false rumors because of either our fears or our hopes." (p. 6) "Your willingness to believe a rumor will inevitably depend on the information with which you start." (p. 19) "Sometimes people believe rumors because other people believe them." (p. 28) Plus the shocking revelation that "Many rumors spread conspiracy...

I know I am new to FR and not entirely sure I am doing this correctly however having said that I know there was a lot of interest in Glenn Beck's show about the Bubba Effect and wanted to let y'all know the subject is being discussed right now on his show.

THE RIGHT TAKES AIM AT MEDIA'S TREATMENT OF OBAMAPOST STAFF REPORT Last updated: 4:19 pm July 25, 2008 Fully expecting Sen. Clinton to be the Democratic presidential nominee, the conservative advocacy group Citizens United spent 18 months and millions of dollars making "Hillary: The Movie." But as the saying goes, God gave them lemons and they made "Hype: The Obama Effect." "Hype" is a full-length feature documentary that will be released on DVD Sept. 1 and will be playing in select theaters across the country. The trailer has been released online and advertising on FOX began this week. Citizens United...

Lots of issues including Russia – the USA complicated relations were discussed at G8 summit in Germany, but the question of the greenhouse effect taken for unimportant for many years appeared to be one of the most disputable. The parties agreed that so-called post-Kyoto agreements implying double reduction of emissions by 2050 should be worked out. In 2013, as soon as the Kyoto protocol is no longer valid, Germany is going to put forward an initiative of an agreement on global 30% cut of CO2 emissions by 2020. The document is supposed to be ready at the end of 2007...

SMILE FOR EFFECT, A PREQUEL TO “THE AMERICAN STREET”. Months ago I wrote a post about the American Street. In it, I describe a verbal exchange I had with a communist propagandizer. Despite the obnoxious T-Shirt this snake oil salesman was wearing, and despite the fact he was trying hard to attract attention – almost everyone around him was doing a good job of ignoring him. I however could not ignore him. You might be asking, why did humint notice a subversive newspaper salesman among an ocean of busy bodies, shuffling diligently from point “A” to point “B”? The answer...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2006 -- If the situation in Iraq is mishandled, regional powers may be tempted to become involved in the country -- causing greater problems for the future, defense secretary nominee Robert M. Gates said today. “Iran is already involved in Iraq and … could become much more so,” Gates said in an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee as part of the confirmation process. “The Syrians have not been helpful in Iraq, but could become much more harmful to our effort.” Sunni majority countries in the Middle East also could become involved if the Shiite...

Changes in the Sun's brightness over the past millennium have had only a small effect on Earth's climate, according to a review of existing results and new calculations performed by researchers in the United States, Switzerland, and Germany. The review, led by Peter Foukal (Heliophysics, Inc.), appears in the September 14 issue of Nature. Among the coauthors is Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. NCAR's primary sponsor is the National Science Foundation. "Our results imply that, over the past century, climate change due to human influences must far outweigh the effects of changes in the Sun's brightness,"...

Federal prosecutors in Southern California toiled for years to build a case strong enough to cut off the head of the notorious Aryan Brotherhood prison gang and end its 40-year reign over the federal and state prison system. On Friday, the government saw the fruits of its labor: a sweeping verdict that convicted four top gang leaders of murder, conspiracy and racketeering and made two of the defendants eligible for the death penalty. Yet as prosecutors celebrated, legal analysts and prison gang experts questioned whether the government's near-complete victory will translate into what authorities so keenly desire - the eventual...

MANAMA, Bahrain, April 27, 2006 – Maritime operations in the Middle East are all about anti-terrorism activities, the deputy commander of coalition forces serving with Naval Forces Central Command said here. British Royal Navy Commodore Simon T. Williams said maritime operations have an active and passive deterrence role in what Americans call the Central Command area of operations. "The main effect is trying to change the risk calculus for terrorists," he said in an interview. The command, which has ships from 17 different nations, has task forces covering the seas from the southern border of Kenya to the Pakistan-India border....

Billings, Mont. -- Most elk, bison and trumpeter swans are unfazed by the presence of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park, a new study suggests. Researchers from the park and Montana State University observed more than 2,100 interactions between snowmobiles and wildlife last winter. In 81 percent of the interactions, the animals either had no apparent response, or they looked and then resumed what they were doing, the study said. The study, commissioned by the National Park Service and conducted between December 2004 and March 2005, is one of several that park officials say they will take into account as they...

When a rock hits the calm surface of a pond, ripples form at the point of impact and travel outward in expanding circles. The story begins with a young man and his dream - a dream of overcoming his health problems and flying for the Air Force. The boy, Ryan Penne, 14, of Chico, Calif., stepped into dreamland last year at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., when he and his family were guests of Col. Darryl W. Burke - then the 9th Reconnaissance Wing's vice commander - for a comprehensive base tour as part of the Make-A-Wish program. Ryan suffers...

Probes may have 'chilling effect' on media By Nick Madigan Sun Reporter Originally published November 16, 2005 The investigations into anonymous leaks in the nation's capital could confound the symbiotic relationship between government officials and reporters, according to observers of the interaction between the press and the politicians they cover. The probes, first in the Valerie Plame case and now in The Washington Post's story about covert CIA prisons, have prompted questions about the benefits and pitfalls of leaking national security secrets, and whether the prospect of investigations into their provenance will mean the leaks could dry up. "What if...

Greenhouse effect occurred 5,000 years ago: archaeologists www.chinaview.cn 2005-10-31 19:10:24 JINAN, Oct. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- It is common sense nowadays that excessive carbon dioxide in the air caused by excessive lumbering leads to global greenhouse effects. But a team of archaeologists from China and the United States is saying that the greenhouse effect started about 5,000 years ago, much earlier than people might expect. This is the conclusion reached by a group of Chinese and US archaeologists based on research on the relics excavated from the ruins of a Neolithic site in Rizhao City, east China's Shandong Province, over the...

JUNEAU, Alaska — Starting Wednesday, a new anti-gun-control law in Alaska will allow handgun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit in the seven Alaska cities where permits are now required. Gun owners will be allowed to keep their firearms in their vehicle, even if the car is parked on private property where the owner has a no-gun policy. And, some police chiefs say, local ordinances that ban guns from public buildings such as city halls will no longer be enforceable. Alaska’s new law forbids municipalities from passing gun laws that are more restrictive than state law. The National...

WASHINGTON - The effect of greenhouse gases on the Earth's atmosphere has increased 20 percent since 1990, a new government index says. The Annual Greenhouse Gas Index was released Tuesday by the Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory in Boulder, Colo. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide accumulate in the atmosphere as a result of industrial and other processes. They can help trap solar heat, somewhat like a greenhouse, resulting in a gradual warming of the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth's average temperature increased about 1 degree Fahrenheit during the 20th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that continuing increases...

NEW YORK - After seven politically painful years, the Kyoto Protocol (news - web sites) finally enters into force on Wednesday, reining in industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" in a first attempt to control climate change. The global pact negotiated in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, remains a small step, potentially eliminating only one-tenth of a projected 30 percent rise in worldwide emissions between 1990 and 2010. Its supporters already are looking beyond it, toward bigger steps once the agreement expires in 2012. Progress will be limited without the United States, however. The world's biggest emitter rejects...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

WASHINGTON - High oil prices, which have been a factor in virtually all U.S. recessions over the past three decades, are surging again this year. And the higher crude oil prices climb, the more risk energy costs pose to what, until recently, many expected to be a banner year for the U.S. economy. Some economists are even beginning to worry about an outright recession if oil prices, already at record levels, go much higher. And concerns are rising about the threat of "stagflation," a dreaded economic malady of stagnant growth coupled with rising prices that had the United States in...

Flooding may be a side effect of Venus' move June 20 2004 at 10:33AM Beijing - The recent spectacular transit of Venus across the face of the sun may lead to disastrous flooding along China's Yellow River, a leading scientist warned in the local media on Sunday. While millions were marvelling at the celestial show earlier this month, Geng Guoqing, an expert on natural calamities, was more worried about the consequences for China's second-longest river, the Xinhua news agency reported. He compared historical records reaching 2 187 years back and found a clear correllation between Venus transits and serious floods...

LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2004—Jody Eldred Productions today announced it has just completed filming and is in the final stages of production on an inspirational documentary called, “Changed Lives: Miracles of The Passion,” which will air nationwide Easter weekend. With rave reviews from Diane Sawyer on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country,” this one-hour T.V. special was shot in High Definition and documents the true stories of people whose lives have been forever changed by Mel Gibson’s incredible motion picture “The Passion of The Christ.” “I knew instantly that people’s lives were going to be...

MARINA DEL REY, CA (PREWEB) March 18, 2004 -- Jody Eldred Productions, a television and film production company in Marina Del Rey, CA is in the final stages of preparing a nationwide television special to air this Easter called, "CHANGED LIVES: MIRACLES OF THE PASSION." The documentary is telling the stories of people forever changed as a result of seeing the film. These visual testimonies will give powerful witness to the life-altering power of Jesus Christ as presented through this incredible motion picture. SEEKING VIDEOTAPED STORY SUBMISSIONS As part of this documentary, the Jody Eldred Productions is asking people to...

<p>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Investigators of the Columbia accident are studying whether pockets of cold air caused foam on the external fuel tank to peel off and strike the space shuttle's left wing during takeoff.</p> <p>The phenomenon, called cryo-pumping, was found in foam on another external fuel tank that was dissected at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The tank was a little newer than the one on Columbia.</p>

Magnetic effect of ocean flow revealed 19:00 09 January 03 NewScientist.com news service Tiny magnetic fields created by ocean tides have been mapped globally for the first time, after researchers filtered out the signal from satellite data. Improving the technique so that the magnetic fields created by all the ocean's motions can be picked out would provide a valuable new way to track global ocean circulation and climate change. It would be especially useful for monitoring deep water currents, as these cannot be seen by the current measurements of water colour or wave height. This is possible - at least...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 November 10 A Green Flash from the Sun Credit & Copyright: Pekka Parviainen (Polar Image) Explanation: Many think it is just a myth. Others think it is true but its cause isn't known. Adventurers pride themselves on having seen it. It's a green flash from the Sun. The truth is the green flash does exist and its cause is well understood. Just as the setting Sun disappears...

RealAge HealthBytes Depression from Job Loss Is Long Lasting: Study By Charnicia E. Huggins NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While it may not be surprising that job loss and the resulting financial strain can lead to depression, new study findings show that this and other negative consequences of unemployment can last for up to 2 years, even after a person gets another job. It is not simply the loss of employment that keeps individuals in a prolonged state of depression or otherwise poor health, the report indicates, but rather the "cascade of negative events" that follows that loss. "It...

The revolt of the sixties flower-powered children has turned our world upside down. Amazingly, that revolt, largely waged against an authoritarian anything, including institutions such as family, religion, the military, and not least, government, now has evolved into an advocacy for a more intrusive and all encompassing government under the guise of compassion. This kind of irrationality has become pervasive in contemporary American culture among the politically correct. The psychologist, John Rosemond has said that young children cannot differentiate between needs and wants; between superstition and logical thinking. Those two states merge in the child's mind as a unified sense...

JOSEPH SOBRAN THE LIBERAL THEORY OF CAUSATION WASHINGTON -- Martin Luther King's "dream" has become America's nightmare. Ever since the Civil Rights movement began blaming white Americans for the sufferings of blacks, black crime -- especially black-on-white crime -- has exploded. Whatever King and his ilk intended, black thugs across the country got the message that they could murder, rape and rob with some covert sympathy from black leaders and white liberals. It's high time the black leadership took responsibility for the Willie Hortons they have spawned. If you buy this argument, you should have no trouble buying the argument...

It appears the usual end of the month window dressing routine may have played a role in the market's recent rebound. And this week's economic data has begun to show a creeping weakness in the nation's economy. These initial signs of weakness, while perhaps priced in over the short run, provide a good example of how markets react when the reality fails to live up to investors' hopes or expectations. The universally rosy expectations for economic growth in light of the Nasdaq bubble burst and the terrorist attacks of September 11 continue to illustrate investors' willingness to suspend disbelief --...