Free Republic

There's a burgeoning theme in Washington these days. Although not publicly stated before the cameras, the power brokers whisper it among themselves. But before too long — perhaps in the next six months as the presidential campaign heats up — we'll all recognize it when we hear it. It's called the "new normal." This odious phrase characterizes a growing belief among politicians, economists and pundits that the United States is entering its twilight years of economic prosperity. Gone are the days of 4% unemployment. Gone too are the days of 4% to 5% annual GDP growth. And with them will...

1 — Be a skinflint. Cut down on your spending. And be very nice to your boss, assuming you still have a job.2 — Think in terms of NOT losing money. Forget about easy Wall Street profits. There aren’t going to be any easy profits — not without a huge new infusion of borrowed money.3 — Be sceptical of everything you read. The media is desperate for circulation, and it will slap on the cover of its magazine or newspaper any damn fool statement that it thinks will sell.4 — Have faith in your gold. As confidence in the...

As gay couples began marrying on the day New York became the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex unions, politicians Sunday made clear whether they were wedded to the policy or not. Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said he didn’t think “all domestic relationships are the same as traditional marriage,” on CNN’s “State of the Union.” After host Candy Crowley reminded the former Minnesota governor that gay marriage had been legal for a year in Iowa, a key campaign battleground state in which Pawlenty is heavily invested, he said: “We want to maintain traditional marriage elevated in the eyes...

If Philadelphia has a run of abnormally hot weather this summer, it will be considered less unusual than it would have been a year ago. That’s because “normal” now has a new definition. A set of updated national climate averages due to be released this week shows that average summer temperatures in the city are nearly 2°F warmer than the benchmarks meteorologists have been citing for the past decade. The updates come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which will impliment its new 30-year “Climate Normals” on July 1. When weather forecasters use terms like “above normal” or...

WASHINGTON - A "new normal" is emerging for the U.S. jobs market, and a growing number of economists warn that it's likely to mean that unemployment will remain persistently high, at 7 percent or more, for years to come. The 9.1 percent unemployment rate reported in May remains high by post-World War II standards long after the economy resumed growth following the worst recession in 70 years. It's prompting economists to rethink basic assumptions about the U.S. labor market.

----- Forwarded Message ---- From: GODS VOICE Sent: Thu, January 20, 2011 12:41:50 PM Subject: Strive for Progress, Not Perfection ... It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you... Philippians 3:1NIV Have you any idea how often the people you admire got it wrong, half right, almost right, before they got it right? Making mistakes is the unenjoyable, unavoidable part of making progress. That's why Paul said, '... It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.'(Philippians 3:1 NIV) He understood that you...

2009 H1N1 Flu: Situation Update: The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) based on the 122 Cities Report was low and within the bounds of what is expected at this time of year.

This is what Obama doesn't understand about the Common American on Main Street. A True Redneck - This isn't your typical redneck joke. We have enjoyed the redneck jokes for years. It's time to take a reflective look at the core beliefs of a culture that values home, family, country and God. If I had to stand before a dozen terrorists who threaten my life, I'd choose a half dozen or so rednecks to back me up. Tire irons, squirrel guns and grit -- that's what rednecks are made of. I hope I am one of those. If you feel...

HIV-positive men told a Dutch court on Wednesday how a three-member gay gang tried to infect them with the AIDS virus at sex orgies. "I feel fear, anger, sadness and anxiety," one of the alleged victims testified before the district court in Groningen on the third day of the week-long trial. "I have lost a lot of weight," lamented the student, who is infected with HIV. The three accused, all HIV-positive, are charged with drugging gay men at sex orgies, raping them, and injecting them with blood contaminated with HIV. They are aged 39, 49 and 50. The three, including...

Have you noticed all those signs at Barack Obama rallies that look like hand-lettered, home-crafted messages from honest-to-goodness grass roots supporters? They’re fakes. Terry Ann Online: Passing out the signs at the Obama rally.

In 2006, after the Lebanon war, Israel's foreign ministry decided that the country had a p.r. problem on its hands. The solution? Let the world know that Israel, far from being a place of war and terror, was in fact a land of sunny beaches and beautiful women: in other words, a country that was fundamentally normal. And, so, Israel retained the p.r. firm Saatchi and Saatchi, which promised a campaign to help the Jewish state build a "narrative of normalcy." Then, last July, the Israeli consulate in New York arranged for the men's magazine Maxim to publish a spread...

I was driving in Sderot early in the day. A rocket alert was sounded. I felt that I do not wish to stop, so I kept on driving. I then heard an explosion not too far away. I looked in my rearview mirror, and saw a cloud of smoke rising from the area I left behind. I kept driving. Another rocket alert was sounded. I was in an open area between neighborhoods and saw a frightened woman standing at the side of the road. I stopped, she entered the vehicle, and I drove her to the nearest rocket shelter, where...

ADHAMIYAH, Iraq, March 24, 2008 – Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers here witnessed the changes and progress in the area and its bustling market during a joint dismounted patrol with the Iraqi army on Chem Street. Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers head toward Chem Street in Adhamiyah, Iraq, during a dismounted patrol, March 20, 2008. Soldiers of 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, which is attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, regularly patrol the streets with their Iraqi counterparts from 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division. Photo...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2007 – President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have laid the groundwork for defining what a long-term relationship between the two countries will look like, White House officials announced today. Both signed the U.S.-Iraq Declaration of Principles for Friendship and Cooperation, the first step toward a normalized, bilateral relationship, said Brett McGurk, director for Iraq in the National Security Council. The document provides a framework for future negotiations between the two countries and loosely defines the issues. McGurk said long-term progress in the region will take a generational commitment in one form or another,...

Coral reveals increased hurricanes may be the norm 18:00 06 June 2007 NewScientist.com news service Catherine Brahic The recent increase in the number of major Atlantic hurricanes may just be a return to the norm after a period of unusually low storm frequency, say researchers. Johan Nyberg of the Geological Survey of Sweden and colleagues used marine sediment cores of coral samples from the northeast Caribbean to build a proxy record of wind shear and sea-surface temperatures since 1730, and from this they estimated hurricane activity since that time. High wind shear – the difference in speed and direction between...

He looks like a good cop. He's got the 'stache, the short-cropped hair, the pushed-out chest and the shiny badge. He sounds like a good cop too; drawled and official. He's got a TV reporter's microphone in his face and a brick of marijuana in his hand, and he's answering questions—not in the "I just accidentally Tasered an old lady" kind of way, but with a grin of accomplishment. The total bust was in the neighborhood of 275 pounds. This is the old Barry Cooper. Top cop. Total prick. He claims more than 300 felony drug arrests during his eight...

Vegetation die-off (areas of reddish-brown) in New England observed by NASA satellite, revealing the negative influence of heating oil use on normally healthy vegetation.(Greenbelt, Maryland) A new sensor on a NASA Earth-orbiting satellite has for the first time observed a global-scale die off of vegetation, a new article in Science magazine reports this week. "We were amazed at the continental scale that this die off occupied", said Dr. John Jorgenson of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The relatively rapid change in vegetation characteristics was observed from late summer through the fall, when the multi-million dollar NASA instrument recorded a distinct...

SACRAMENTO Sierra Nevada snow levels are far above normal as warm temperatures hit California and flood-wary residents wait for the spring runoff, but officials predicted Thursday that reservoirs would be able to handle the extra water. The state Department of Water Resources said its last check of the 2005-2006 rainy season found a Sierra snowpack that averaged 180 percent of normal water content for this time of year. Levels were higher than that average in the northern Sierra 207 percent of normal and lower in the central and southern parts of the mountain range 169 percent and 175 percent, respectively....

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 6, 2006 — After years of war, sanctions, insurgency and occupation, it is difficult for some Iraqis to remember what "normal" is. Many see the media reports of a car bomb here or an attack there and think this happens everywhere in Iraq on a daily basis. Not true. While violence happens all too often around Iraq, it is not normal nor something Iraqis should accept. Normal life is an economy where a young man can go out and find a job, build a career or ultimately own his own business. Normal is the ability to get...

Last night, I watched our President give a pretty great speech. "We love our Freedom ... and we will fight to keep it". Little Gb will be a year in June, so he's too little to enjoy the speech, especially since he was in bed. Mrs. Gb was tidying up, and commented little. So it was just me watching George as he give us a straightforward account of what he saw going on with the USA, and what he thinks should be going on. Coffee was ready to brew this morning. I punched the button, and then let the dogs...