http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/misc-chat/ en-us Tue, 5 Jan 2010 23:39:08 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421769/posts Given the plight of so many unemployed Americans, President Obama did not want to spend a lot of money on a lavish redecoration of the Oval Office. But he did want to make it his own. So Obama asked California decorator Michael Smith to work with him to change the look of the Oval Office to better reflect his interests. Now, the Associated Press has had a tour of the makeover. The changes are striking. latimes.com/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421769/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 23:39:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421745/posts Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) "dropped a late-day bombshell, announcing he will retire when his term ends this year," USA Today reports. "Dorgan's announcement represents an opportunity for Republicans: North Dakota is a Republican-leaning state, where President Obama got just 45% of the vote last year." Poltical Wire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421745/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 23:19:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421437/posts A question to the group: Was Hume wrong to say what he did? Yes No npr.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421437/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 16:46:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421299/posts Just a question for any out there who think they have the answer. This has always baffled me: how a congressional district can vote for a Republican president but a Dem congressman/senator (or visa versa.) Parker Griffith's district comes to mind. Also, many states consistently choose a governor from one party, but a president from another. Where does the disconnect come in? Any political analysts in the house? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421299/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 13:48:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421154/posts Does anyone use these glasses? iZon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421154/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 05:41:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421090/posts Ethnic Profiling used. Screw Political Correctness. Video at: http://www.onejerusalem.org/2010/01/how-israel-screens-for-terrori.php onejerusalem.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421090/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 03:33:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421012/posts Buoyed by the success of the Hubble Space Telescope, one of the key proposals on NASA’s internal interpretation of the Augustine Commission’s “Flexible Path” option includes a 45 day manned mission to construct a giant telescope in Geostationary orbit (GEO). A huge deep space telescope is also included in the roadmap, which would focus on a major advancement for the search of Earth-like planets. NasaSpaceflight.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2421012/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 01:13:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420997/posts BEIJING, Jan 4 — China’s ambitions to conquer space will take a big leap forward this year, as the country embarks on the most extensive space development programme in the world in decades. The aim is to fire China towards its two long-held space dreams — to land a man on the moon and to set up a space station by 2020. The Malaysian Insider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420997/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 00:55:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420984/posts WASHINGTON — A massive, eruptive white dwarf star in the Milky Way — long overdue for its next periodic eruption — is closer to our solar system than previously thought and could threaten the Earth if it fully explodes millions of years from now. space.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420984/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 00:41:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420882/posts Just Sayin'........ http://www.wgal.com/video/22117262/index.html WGAL, Lancaster, PA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420882/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 22:34:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420854/posts United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 2: "[An] Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." This was stated as "a counting of each person in the UnitedStates." A look at the 2010 Census Form shows some real eye-openers: Who owns your house? What is your telephone number? Date of birth of all members of household? How many people of Hispanic origin? What is each person's race? Does anyone sometimes live somewhere else?... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420854/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:46:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420831/posts State Sen. Anthony D. Galluccio was led away in handcuffs today, sentenced to one year in jail for violating the terms of his home confinement. A judge sentenced the Cambridge Democrat after a full day of testimony over his failed Breathalyzer test Dec. 21. Galluccio blamed the bad test results on his toothpaste. He must now serve out his term in the House of Correction. Developing ... Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420831/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:13:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420825/posts MESA, Ariz. - A teenager accidentally ran over and killed her 17-year-old brother as the two played around in a shopping mall parking lot, police said yesterday. Ed Wessing, Mesa police spokesman, identified the brother as Dwight J. Brock Jr. and his sister as 16-year-old Nicole M. Brock, both residents of Mesa. The sister had dropped off her brother at Superstition Springs Mall on Saturday evening, Wessing said, and then they started playing around, with the brother jumping in front of the car and the sister slamming on the brakes. The last time that happened the sister was unable to... Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420825/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:01:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420822/posts I have no reason to doubt this is authentic. And frightening as can be. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420822/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 20:59:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420714/posts Not Everything is Recyclable   By Jonah Spangenthal-Lee     Seattle police shut down several streets in Wallingford and called out the bomb squad this morning   after staff at the North Seattle Transfer Station found that someone had tried to dispose of explosives at the facility.The call came in around 9:45 after an employee reported that they'd found a live 155mm round—like those used in Howitzer cannons—in a recycling bin.The bomb squad recovered the explosives and police reopened the streets around the facility shortly before 10 a.m.And now I think we can all agree that recycling and terrorism are practically... SeattleCrime.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420714/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 18:25:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420705/posts With all the bad news going on right now about the airports, I thought I'd share our experience from yesterday. Son #3 came home for Christmas and had to fly back to Ft. Campbell yesterday. While I was waiting for him to get his boarding pass, an gentleman with an airport tag on approached me and asked if the backpack sitting next to me was mine or had someone left it. I explained, it was my son's and he was getting his boarding pass. A few minutes later, that same gentleman came back and told me that if he is... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420705/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 18:18:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420679/posts NEW YORK - Oil started the new year Monday trading above $81 a barrel, almost double what it fetched at the beginning of 2009 even though the U.S. is using much less. Prices, which have been propped up by a weak dollar, will get even more support as winter weather chills the country. That means gasoline, heating oil and other fuels are also probably headed higher as the market tests how much people are willing to pay for energy, analysts said. "It looks like Antarctica out there," analyst Stephen Schork said. "It's snowing everywhere. This winter is like a gift... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420679/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 17:53:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420668/posts FOX News has included a posting called "Top Stories Mainstream Media Missed in '09" about half-way down their page. See thefoxnation.com Here you go - They've opened the door for you to sound off! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420668/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 17:37:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420617/posts 1. iPod (2001) 2. TiVo DVR (1999-2000) 3. Garmin GPS (2000) 4. Vodafone 3G Datacard (2004) 5. Wii Remote (2006) 6. Amazon Kindle (2007) 7. iPhone (2007) 8. Slingbox (2005) 9. Blackberry (2002) 10. XBox (2002) San Antonio Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420617/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 16:29:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420600/posts Elin Nordegren Woods fluffed Tiger off for Christmas as she also told her mother-in-law to mail gifts rather than visit. Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420600/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 16:03:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420562/posts MEDINA, Saudi Arabia – At the cemetery where the Prophet Muhammad's family is buried, an Iranian Shiite Muslim pilgrim overcome with emotion was jerked by a Saudi soldier, who barked a sharp order: "Stop crying!" The soldier, a gun at his hip, then hovered over the pilgrim as he wrapped up his prayers to make sure he didn't start weeping again. The Baqee cemetery is where the bitter rivalry between Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran gets personal. Iranians and other Shiites flock to the graves to pay respects to several revered descendants of Islam's prophet, while Saudi soldiers... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420562/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 15:09:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420363/posts A cougar attacked a B.C. family's golden retriever Saturday night after the dog stepped in between the cougar and an 11-year-old boy. Police, who later shot the cougar dead, credited the 18-month-old dog -- Angel -- for saving the boy's life. CTV.ca http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420363/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 03:50:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420358/posts Tiger Woods and his wife Elin Nordegren might have spent the holiday apart — he in seclusion in the United States, she skiing in the French Alps — but that doesn’t mean things are over. “Tiger and Elin still love each other,” according to a person close to the couple. “Although there is talk of divorce, and anyone can see there is a lot of work to do, they would both like to work this out.” In photos from the skiing trip Elin, for the first time since Woods’ Thanksgiving night accident, is seen wearing what appears to be her... msnbc.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420358/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 03:41:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420351/posts Apologies for the vanity. The recent Obama lecture at West Point has reminded me of a lecture I attended there in 1991. The speaker spoke about freedom in such moving terms, that I still remember it today...and I have kept the transcript of the lecture all this time. I would love to post it here, but don't know exactly how. I would have to scan the text...but then I don't know what to do. It is way too big to put in a post, so it would have to be linked to a place on the internet...but where on the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420351/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 03:30:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420344/posts "I would say that this life, for the last 25 or 30 years since we left the White House,has been the most enjoyable and the most gratifying," he says. washington post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420344/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 03:25:27 GMT