Free Republic

Anger greets Dutch queen's Christmas message Published on 27 December 2009 - 12:08pm Many media experts and internet users have fiercely criticised Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands following her 2009 Christmas message. The queen tackled subjects including virtual communication which she said actually divided people rather than bringing them closer together. Although no names were given, she was taken to be referring to social networks such as Hyves, Facebook, Twitter and to text messaging in general. Internet expert Vincent Everts has told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that the queen doesn't know what she's talking about. He argues the opposite of what...

Facebook, the popular networking site, has 350 million members worldwide who, collectively, spend 10 billion minutes there every day, checking in with friends, writing on people’s electronic walls, clicking through photos and generally keeping pace with the drift of their social world. Make that 9.9 billion and change. Recently, Halley Lamberson, 17, and Monica Reed, 16, juniors at San Francisco University High School, made a pact to help each other resist the lure of the login. Their status might as well now read, “I can’t be bothered.” “We decided we spent way too much time obsessing over Facebook and it...

An escaped prisoner, Craig Lynch, has set up a Facebook page and is using it to taunt police by posting messages about his whereabouts.Craig "Lazie" Lynch vanished from Hollesley Bay Prison in Suffolk in September this year close to the end of a seven-year sentence for aggravated burglary. Instead of hiding away from police Lynch has set up a Facebook account complete with a photograph sticking his middle finger up and boasts about eating 12lb steaks and his home being so warm it feels like the Caribbean.

The social networking site, which connects old friends and allows users to make new ones online, is being blamed for an increasing number of marital breakdowns. Divorce lawyers claim the explosion in the popularity of websites such as Facebook and Bebo is tempting to people to cheat on their partners. Suspicious spouses have also used the websites to find evidence of flirting and even affairs which have led to divorce. One law firm, which specialises in divorce, claimed almost one in five petitions they processed cited Facebook. Mark Keenan, Managing Director of Divorce-Online said: "I had heard from my staff...

There's a lovely new video out called "The Mujahideen Don't Target Muslims."  (Yeah, right, whatever you say Adam.)  It's put out by the terrorists over at As-Sahab (the media wing of Al Qaeda, in case you didn't know) but that doesn't stop YouTube from hosting it so that it can be embedded free of charge for all the little jihadis all over the world to get jacked up about.  On December 16, Ronin called for a little YouTube Smackdown and so of course I had to check it out.  One of the posts he had was from a YouTuber named...

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a formal complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission over Facebook's recent changes to user privacy settings, claiming the changes are in violation of consumer-protection law. ... Most notably, a user's name, city, gender, photograph, selected "fan pages," and friends list - yes, friends list - can now be viewed by anyone on the web. Whether you like it or not.

If Facebook is taking over your life, a new website is offering you a way out. The site, Seppukoo.com, offers ritual suicide for Facebook users’ virtual profiles by deactivating your account. And it doesn’t stop there. If you’re willing to end it all, the site will feature a RIP memorial page on its site and sends the page to all your Facebook friends.

Todd and I would like to offer our best wishes to the Jewish community as they celebrate Hanukkah. Known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah commemorates the eight-day miracle that took place when the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated. Though there was only enough consecrated oil for one day, the flame miraculously burned for eight – just long enough to prepare more. This beautiful story is rich with life lessons for members of all faiths. With hope and dedication nothing is impossible, and the Almighty never abandons those who seek the light.

Rather KGBish of him, wouldn't you say?.... "The government is increasingly monitoring Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites for tax delinquents, copyright infringers and political protesters." So ominously began an editorial in Sunday's New York Times. Those with accounts at such Web sites should pay attention, for according to the Times, and other sources, Big Brother is watching you. So be careful with your next Tweet or Facebook status, for you never know who's watching. .....On the other hand, it will be interesting to see how Obama-loving media follow this story.

The Government Is Monitoring Facebook And Twitter By Noel Sheppard Created 2009-12-14 11:59 "The government is increasingly monitoring Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites for tax delinquents, copyright infringers and political protesters." So ominously began an editorial [1] in Sunday's New York Times. Those with accounts at such websites should pay attention, for according to the Times, and other sources, Big Brother is watching you: The Wall Street Journal reported this summer that state revenue agents have been searching for tax scofflaws by mining information on MySpace and Facebook. In October, the F.B.I. searched the New York home of...

Lactose-intolerant Policy Is Sour On Milk, Cheese, Yogurt Washington, D.C.— The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) expressed puzzlement and disbelief today after learning that the popular website Facebook has banned the promotion of dairy products. Facebook’s guidelines state that no promotions are permitted if the “objective is to promote any of the following product categories: gambling, tobacco, dairy, firearms, prescription drugs, or gasoline.” An additional policy also prohibits awarding promotional prizes that include dairy products. “It’s dumbfounding, and just plain dumb,” said CCF Research Director David Martosko. “Why would anyone lump milk with cigarettes and prescription painkillers? Does Facebook believe...

On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the U. S. Naval Station at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in which thousands of Americans lost their lives and our naval fleet was severely damaged. The events of that day, which President Franklin Roosevelt vowed would “live in infamy,” proved for many Americans that aggressors would not simply ignore us if we ignored them. The attack on Pearl Harbor launched America into the Second World War, and our Greatest Generation did not hesitate when asked to sacrifice for their country. American men enlisted in droves, American women went...

In the opinion of Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman, President Barack Obama's speech on Tuesday night on the war in Afghanistan was deliberately timed to block the Christian message of the "Peanuts" television Christmas special. Wiseman made the statements on his Facebook page, where he declared Obama to be a Muslim. Only people on Wiseman's "friend's list" had access to the post. He has more than 1,600 friends on Facebook. --snip -- At another point he said, "you know, our forefathers had it written in the original Constitution that ONLY property owners could vote, if that has stayed in there, things...

I don’t know what goes through a person’s head as they say their wedding vows at the altar. I imagine it’s something like: “omgomgthisisthebestdayofmylifeican’tbelieveit’shappeningdon’tcryaaaaaaadon’tcryomgomg don’tmessupyourvowsdeepbreathsaaaaican’tbelieveimgettingmarried”. I don’t think your first thought would be: “Oh, good. My 298 Twitter followers will love this. Better just get out that Blackberry and let them all know what’s happening.” Well, my friends, that is exactly what a Mr Dana Hanna of Maryland (not our Dan Hannan, sillies) and his wife did. Just before kissing his bride, he whipped out his phone and told his Twitter and Facebook friends “Standing at the altar with @TracyPage...

Dyron HartA young African-American man from Mississippi who admitted in August to sending death threats over Facebook while posing as a white supremacist received three years of probation from a federal court judge in New Orleans on Wednesday.

My parents and I just had a wonderful time at “Hard Work U” – the school motto of College of the Ozarks. It earned that proud nickname because students there work their way through college and graduate with little or no debt. (In other words, a place after my own heart, and the hearts of others who worked their way through college and, like me, maybe took five years to finish because of work schedules!) At tonight’s patriotic event at the college we heard some amazing personal stories of heroism and sacrifice by our military veterans in attendance, including members...

Here is video of a groom in Maryland who decided to "update his relationship status" on Facebook immediately after the couple was pronounced "Husband and Wife," and before he kissed his bride. It's a strange new world we live in now. . . . (VIDEO)

Facebook users... I was wanting to befriend all facebook users here. I would love to have networking outside of freerepublic.com so we can share comments and interests outside of this site. PM me your page and I would love to network with you. I can't wait until I see most of the freeper comments on this. Consider this enjoyment for today!!!

<p>"The Palin that I know is a man who loves his children," said Mariah Martir, who cannot understand why he walked out of his home with a gun after a hostage standoff, only to be killed by a sharpshooter.</p> <p>"He was strong in his faith, he loved his family and he loved his wife," she said, while acknowledging that Perez Jackson was in a troubled relationship.</p>

FACEBOOK can be a double-edged sword, a Canadian woman learned when an insurance company cut her health benefits, claiming she was healthy after seeing pictures of her smiling in bikini at the beach. Nathalie Blanchard, 29, took long-term sick leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, more than a year ago for severe depression. She was receiving monthly benefits from her insurance company, Manulife. When Ms Blanchard called Manulife to ask why the payments dried up, the insurance company said that "I'm available to work, because of Facebook," she told CBC television. She said that Manulife cited several...

SNIPPET: "ONTARIO, Calif. -- State lawmakers are holding a hearing today in Ontario to discuss the rise in the number of criminal gangs using networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Officials say the hearing entitled "Gangs 2.0: The Emerging Threat of Cyberthugs" will explore the use of social networking tools in gang recruitment and gang-related crime. Assembly majority leader Alberto Torrico, and attorney general candidate, says gang members both in and out of prison are making more use of technology."

Two Clayton County teachers arrested for fighting over the same lover on Facebook no longer work together. Rex Mill Middle School teachers Chaka Cobb and Ebony Smith were charged with misdemeanors last month after getting into a physical fight in front of students. Employment records obtained by the AJC on Wednesday show Smith resigned in lieu of termination. Cobb is currently serving a 19.5-day suspension without pay, according to the records. She is scheduled to return Dec. 4. Smith was charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. Cobb was charged with disorderly conduct. The fight started after the women learned...

I would like to thank everybody who has signed up to follow this Facebook page. We are now over one million strong! Our voices have been heard loud and clear on issues ranging from energy to healthcare. Your support has made this unfiltered communication medium a success. Thank you so much! - Sarah Palin

Read it and weep all of you MSM talking heads..

Sarah is up to over 998,000 fans on her Facebook page and that number is climing fast. Many people including myself have pledged to donate to her PAC when she hits the 1 million mark. If you are on Facebook please add yourself as a fan. http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin?v=wall&ref=sgm

Had a great conversation today with Barbara Walters regarding America’s special needs community. Her compassion for those who some in our society see as “less than perfect” comes from personal experience as she was so close to her sister. Barbara wrote lovingly about her sister in her #1 bestselling memoir titled, Audition. Barbara and I even attempted to interview Trig during this segment, but he was about as patient through the interview as any other one-and-a-half-year-old child! I appreciate Barbara highlighting America’s special needs community. The beautiful heart of our country shines when we embrace these precious ones. Knowing of...

President Obama at a Shanghai town hall with students, as provided by the White House PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good afternoon. It is a great honor for me to be here in Shanghai, and to have this opportunity to speak with all of you. I'd like to thank Fudan University's President Yang for his hospitality and his gracious welcome. I'd also like to thank our outstanding Ambassador, Jon Huntsman, who exemplifies the deep ties and respect between our nations. I don't know what he said, but I hope it was good. (Laughter.) What I'd like to do is to make some opening...

The book tour starts this week, and I look forward to it! I'm most looking forward to meeting many of you, shaking your hands, and telling you,"Thanks for loving America." I'll give you a scoop here and tell you what's on the book's Dedication Page – it's dedicated to you – Patriots – who love the U.S.A. as much as I do. Amazingly, but not surprisingly, the AP somehow nabbed a copy of the book before it was released. They're now erroneously reporting on the book's contents and are repeating many of the same things they spewed during the campaign...

The son of sacked government drugs advisor David Nutt has posted pictures of himself on the internet apparently smoking cannabis. Steve Nutt, 24, is pictured on his Facebook page looking much the worse for wear. In one snap, his face is covered with paint and he is puffing on what could be a joint of cannabis. In a second photograph he is wearing a Santa hat with what appears to be another joint in his right hand. On the right-hand side of the photo, one of Nutt's friends looks to be preparing a second joint.

A wife posed as a schoolgirl online to catch her husband using an internet chatroom to groom underage girls for sex. Cheryl Roberts, 61, had become concerned about the amount of time her husband David spent at his computer. When a strongly-worded sexual message appeared on his screen while he was out, her suspicions were raised even further, a court heard. To her disgust, Mrs Roberts discovered that her 68-year-old husband of 20 years had been logging on to a teenage chatroom. The message, signed with his nickname Corky, had been sent to an underage girl, but showed on his...

How "Photo Tagger" lets anybody recognize you Facebook likes to talk about privacy, but the truth is the site is all about revealing yourself. A new app, however, may take Facebook's hey-look-at-me culture one step too far. It's called "Photo Tagger," from a company called Face.com. It uses amazing photo recognition technology to take your uploaded photos, go out to the Web, and identify them through "tags." That in itself doesn't sound all that bad, but when we tried this in the newsroom, it scared the crap out of just about everybody with a Facebook account. Here's why: While it's...

Pass the syrup -- this lucky guy is eating breakfast at home instead of on Rikers Island. A Brooklyn teen's playful Facebook message to his pregnant girlfriend about pancakes sprung him from jail and helped him avoid years in prison for a holdup he didn't commit. Prosecutors dropped a robbery charge against Rodney Bradford, 19, after learning his Facebook account status had been updated with the inside joke "WHERE MY IHOP?" from a computer in his dad's Harlem apartment one minute before an Oct. 17 stickup of two men in Brooklyn's Farragut Houses. "They had me on Rikers Island...

Media experts will join bishops from across Europe to tell them how best to communicate the Catholic Church's message in the 21st century.Steeped in history, the Church often struggles to explain its outlook and Pope Benedict XVI has in recent months been mired in controversy over remarks about the role condoms can play in halting the spread of Aids and his decision to rehabilitate a Holocaust-denying British bishop.During a four-day conference which starts on Thursday, representatives from the social network Facebook, the search engine Google, the YouTube video sharing website and the online encyclopedia Wikipedia will explain the importance of...

A British man who got 12 women pregnant after meeting them on Facebook has been dubbed "The Sperminator" by the UK press and his victims. Dominic Baronet had been wooing young women for years with his smooth internet chatter, the News of the World reports. Five women are now mothers to his children, another five have had abortions and two are expecting. Adding to Baronet's shady past is a criminal record for supplying ecstasy and cocaine. Kerry Martin, 24, told the News of the World she discovered Baronet's cheating ways by keeping a watch on his Facebook page after he...

One of Australia's most prestigious university colleges has been urged to launch an investigation into student behaviour after it emerged that some had set up a "pro-rape" page on the social networking website Facebook. The group, which was named "Define Statutory", described its members as "anti-consent" and was listed in the sports and recreation section of the site. Created by male students from the St Paul's College at the University of Sydney, the page could be accessed from any of its members profiles. It was shut down at the end of last month, but had been live on Facebook since...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she's back on Twitter. Palin took to the social networking site earlier this year, tweeting about state government, national politics and everything in between. When she quit as Alaska's governor in July, she promised to keep her fans updated through tweets. But that didn't happen, and Palin instead posted regular updates on her Facebook page, which has nearly 1 million followers. In a Facebook posting Monday announcing more dates on her book tour, Palin said she'll provide Twitter updates from the tour. Her Twitter feed is SarahPalinUSA.(continued)

From here latest facebook announcement: I’ll Twitter information when the tour starts, so I’ll post our progress from the road. You can follow on Twitter at SarahPalinUSA.Make sure to follow her on Twitter and spread the flyer!

Sarah Palin Posted This Video On Her Facebook Page: Quit Making Things Up DNC

Two weeks after Sarah Palin's unique exit from public office, Newt Gingrich offered up some unsolicited counsel for the former governor in an interview with POLITICO. Apparently, Newt was certain that Palin's reputation needed serious burnishing, and he was all too ready to provide it by offering substantial details on the range and style of speeches that would be most appropriate for Palin to deliver to various audiences in order to sustain a public revival. Exactly why he felt she needed his help remains a bit of a mystery, except that Gingrich, like Karl Rove, seems absolutely certain that the...

BOSTON - A pharmacy college graduate conspired with two other men on a terror plot to kill two prominent U.S. politicians and carry out a holy war by attacking shoppers in U.S. malls and American troops in Iraq, prosecutors said Wednesday. But their plans — in which the men used code words like "peanut butter and jelly" for fighting in Somalia and "culinary school" for terrorist camps — were thwarted in part when they could not find training and were unable to buy automatic weapons, authorities said. Tarek Mehanna worked with the men from 2001 to May 2008 on the...

SNIPPET: "UPDATED - Wednesday, October 28, 2009: A "New Facebook Login System" spam campaign is in circulation, launched by the same botnet. Sampled updatetool.exe once again interacts with the Zeus command and control at 193.104.27.42."

Mark my words - tomorrow is the game changer! Tune in to hear common sense solutions that bury the false accusations that conscientious members of Congress have no solutions to meet America's health care challenges. If you're like me, shaking your head wondering why all the miscommunication between Washington and the American people who have been saying, "Please hear what we're saying about our desire for health care reform," then tomorrow will be a refreshing time of clarity for all. All Americans, and especially colleagues of House Republican Leader John Boehner: please listen to tomorrow's weekly GOP national address. Rep....

I have been unable to log into facebook since yesterday. I keep getting a message that says "Your account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. It should be available again within a few hours." This morning I decided to look at a friend's account. He is able to log in no problem. Also, when he clicks on my name it says that page is an invalid link. Very strange. I noticed that the DNC sent a message regarding Sarah Palin's facebook page. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2373961/posts I am listed as a fan of Sarah's on facebook and I have posted some political...

What a bunch of Commie scum-bags. The DNC is actually asking supporters to attack private citizen Sarah Palin on Facebook. My suggestion is to join Sarah Palin on Facebook and get her to a million supporters. She is presently at 952,744. I posted part of the e-mail sent by the DNC DNC executive director Jen O'Malley Dillon sent: Subject: Sarah Palin Lies Friend -- A lot of folks use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family. For Sarah Palin, it's a great way to spread lies about health insurance reform. A few months back, Palin took to Facebook...

Pathetic. The DNC is urging supporters to attack private citizen Sarah Palin on Facebook. From the DNC website: If Sarah Palin wants to spread lies on Facebook, we’ll call her out in the very same place. Click the share button below to share our note — and make it clear that people who lie about reform will be held accountable, no matter where they spread their misinformation. The DNC is furious at Sarah Palin for suggesting that their nationalized health care plan would increase costs, drive up the deficit, squeeze out private insurers, and ration care.

Virus hunters are raising the alarm for a large-scale spam attack that uses fake Facebook password-reset messages to trick PC users into downloading a dangerous piece of malware. The malicious executable is linked to the Bredolab botnet, which has been linked to massive spam runs and identity-theft related attacks. Here’s a sample of the Facebook password-reset messages hitting e-mail inboxes this morning: According to Websense, the address of the sender is spoofed to display “support@facebook.com,” a trick commonly used to trick targets into believing it’s a legitimate e-mail from the popular social network. The messages contain a .zip file attachment...

A predator on the Sex Offenders' Register killed a 17-year-old girl he met and groomed on Facebook after luring her to a secret meeting. The 32-year-old posed as a 16-year-old boy to befriend Ashleigh Hall on the social networking site. But within hours of their first meeting, the teenager was dead...

Recent problems with the financial system could be used as a reason for regulators to have authority policing social networking sites like Facebook and other types of electronic communication like text messaging. If Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) CEO Richard Ketchum has his way, that's exactly what will happen. Ketchum appeared on CNBC's Oct. 27 "Closing Bell" in an interview with the network's NYSE floor reporter Bob Pisani from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) annual meeting in New York City. Ketchum explained how the Internet and text messaging are unconventional means of communication that pose problems for...

As I stand here in a high school gymnasium watching freshmen girls' basketball games, I'm struck by the sight of America's future right in front of me - these tenacious young women full of energy and intensity - I want them to realize every opportunity this great, free nation can provide. There are big political races on the East Coast that are coming down to the wire - the results of which will impact policies and political actions that touch all of us in every state. Like other independent Americans, you know I don’t always see eye-to-eye with Republican political...

Facebook users in Britain said the Web site 's latest feature, which encourages people to contact old friends, is bringing up deceased people as suggestions. The new feature, which went live during the weekend, appears in the form of an automatically generated box suggesting the user logged in "reconnect" with a specific friend they have not contacted in a while. Dozens of users reported the box was suggesting deceased friends only hours after the feature was launched, Sky News reported Monday. A 27-year-old Facebook user who gave her name as Emma said she was distressed to be confronted with a...