Free Republic

The Washington Post on Wednesday revealed a U.S. Forest Service plan that would "fine photographers who shoot on federal wild lands without a permit." Reporter Hunter Schwarz noted how "critics have characterized the rules as too vague and say it infringes on the First Amendment's free speech clause," and quoted from a U.S. senator who raised his concerns about the "troubling questions about inappropriate government limits on activity clearly protected by the First Amendment" (Olympic National Park's Ruby Beach pictured at right; taken by Matthew Balan in September 2011). Schwarz cited a Tuesday report by The Oregonian that outlined the...

When it all hits the wall, one thing you should be sure of is that someone is listening to every communication you make within reception range. Many will use scanners to try and find you or your group. If they hear radio activity, especially activity on the short-range radios, they will know you are near. Some will use direction-finding antennas to get your exact location. The idea with radio comms is to use the least power and radio with the least range that will get you reliable comms. If all has gone south, you will want to use radio only...

WICHITA Kan. (Reuters) - A nationally-ranked Kansas boxer with Olympic aspirations was killed when a six-ton steel tank he was sandblasting fell on him, police said on Wednesday.

Bella just wasn’t ready to go home. A YouTube video posted by Laura Gibbs shows her German Shepherd Bella’s hilarious reaction when her owner tries to get her out of the water. Bella’s cries that she didn’t want to leave were ultimately successful.

Last week, Breitbart News revealed a secret video game journalist mailing list used by a clique of influential writers, editors, and bloggers, some of whom attempted to bully their colleagues with it in an attempt to shape the news agenda for political purposes. We can today reveal the complete list of journalists, some 150 key industry figures, on the list. Outlets with representation span the entire video games journalism universe and include Polygon, Ars Technica, Wired, Eurogamer, Destructoid, Kotaku, Joystiq, TechRadar, and many other well-known brands in games publishing. But they also include freelancers and staffers for publications as solidly...

What in the blue blazes is up with my computer now??? First I found it loading pages at a smaller size than I had it set. Then when I corrected the problem on those pages, other pages that I wanted set smaller also jumped up a few sizes. I thought I was supposed to be able to set each page's size individually? Now the size of one page affects the sizes of others!!! Could this have anything to do with that "open candy" my anti-virus shield found?

More USB ports than your laptop? You'd better believe it... *********************************************** Review You might think that as a purveyor of a nifty compact computer selling in the millions, you’d consider two years after the debut of your first offering that it was high time you tempted back the buyers with a go-faster, more capacious and shinier model. Heck, Apple and others don’t even wait that long: they upgrade products year in, year out. Not so for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, for whom such compressed upgrade cycles are vulgarly short. The very first Raspberry Pi Model B micros slipped out early...

After having been a smoker for just about 40 years, I made the plunge. I was very surprised - it pretty much totally eliminated the urge to smoke! Well, except for the hand thingy... but it took away the urge! It's been ten days so far. I have a nearby pack of smokes sittin around if need be. Curious about others situations and experiences.

Microsoft Corp. plans to spend $2.5 billion to buy what it called the most popular online game on Xbox, the building adventure title "Minecraft." “Minecraft is more than a great game franchise – it is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about, and rich with new opportunities for that community and for Microsoft," Satya Nadella, Microsoft's chief executive, said in a statement Monday. The purchase of the game maker Stockholm, Sweden-based Mojang is expected to close late this year. Compared with Microsoft's blockbuster "Halo" franchise, "Minecraft" should give the company a younger audience to...

~~ Come on in and shoot the breeze! ~~ Welcome to Tom Gresham's Gun Talk® Radio Network, the only nationally syndicated radio talk show about firearms, shooting and gun rights. Tune in on Sundays, 08:00-11:00pm EST, and give us a call at 1-866-825-5486.

These horses were originally bred as "war horses" in the days of knights and armour. As armour got heavier, bigger horses were needed and the Friesian almost became extinct. They are back and are one of the most beautiful horses in stature as well as gait. What gorgeous animals. Just watching them becomes an emotional experience. Can you imagine what it would be like to ride one? Their manes and tails are the longest that I have seen and I noticed that when performing on grass, their hoofs do not kick up a divot, as they land flat footed. Creatures...

(WXYZ) Allen Park, Mich. - A mystery drone is the talk of Allen Park, as a family there watched the flying device land in their backyard. The operator--nowhere to be found. "We freaked out," said homeowner Roman Urista. He and his family were sitting in the backyard around a fire recently, when the drone hovered overhead, lights on and propellers roaring. It crash landed in the family's yard, still buzzing. "It didn't look like a hobby toy to me," said Urista. The Drone, valued at around $500, was equipped with an onboard camera. The family was scared to go near...

The Reno Fire Chief tells CBS13 the plane fell apart in the air, as it was flying low through an obstacle course during the qualifying stage of the Reno National Air Race Championships. The plane quickly hit the ground, killing Lee Behel, 64 of San Jose, a man well-known in the air racing community.

~~ Come on in and shoot the breeze! ~~ Welcome to Tom Gresham's Gun Talk® Radio Network, the only nationally syndicated radio talk show about firearms, shooting and gun rights. Tune in on Sundays, 08:00-11:00pm EST, and give us a call at 1-866-825-5486.

Earlier this month, two fan conventions came to London: Nine Worlds and the World Science Fiction Convention, commonly know as Worldcon. Worldcon is in its 72nd year, a huge old dinosaur (or perhaps an aging dragon) of science-fiction fandom. This year more than 10,000 people paid for memberships, which included entrance to the annual Hugo Awards. The official guests of honor were revered science-fiction and fantasy authors, editors, and illustrators, all of whom were in their 60s and 70s. Nine Worlds was smaller, younger, and catered to a more varied crowd including comics, TV, and fanfic followers. But since both...

Robot Couch Can Drive You to the Fridge and Back With a Raspberry Pi and USB gamepad controller letting you run riot on your sofa, this student project is couched in innovation. Sometimes, getting up off the couch to grab a drink is far too time consuming. What if you could drive the couch to the fridge instead? Well, your dreams of an automated couch have come true. Nine engineering students at the University of New South Wales in Australia have designed a robotic couch that can be controlled using a standard USB gamepad. Featuring a custom-built steel chassis with...

Sean Bensema stayed up late one recent evening practicing and woke up unusually early the next morning to prepare for the biggest moment of his life: a tryout for an athletic scholarship to college. The shaggy-haired 18-year-old didn’t need to change out of the T-shirt he slept in or even leave his parents’ house to make the squad. He just set up his laptop on the dining-room table and started stunning his enemies with fire shot from the hands of his digital avatar. Mr. Bensema is among 150 players competing for a spot on the nation’s first varsity videogame team....

Louisiana hunters have scratched and clawed across the flaming sands of the offseason desert, but they're feeling the cool breeze of the oasis, and it ain't no mirage. Dove season opens Saturday, and for thousands of outdoors enthusiasts, it's the official start of fall. Hunters who couldn't care less about wing-shooting the rest of the season gather over planted and disced fields for the opening-day festivities that are as much a social gathering as a hunt. Historically, the season has always opened at noon, giving hunters time to get to the fields, set up the grills and tell lies about...

Flat tyre exposes a cheating 'Romeo'Mr Romeo was in love with another woman who was younger than his wife and according to him more beautiful and attractive. It was love at first sight. He started the affair from the word go. His Juliet started writing love letters to him, expressing how deeply she loves him, and how much she misses him. It was very difficult for Romeo to tear these love letters. He enjoyed reading them every day. So how could he keep them and hide the love missives from his wife. Eureka, he found the perfect place – he...

Maiden frontman wishes he’d been born in 19th century - as he confirms another outing in WWI fighter plane