Free Republic

SAN DIEGO -- Imagine joining the Navy ten years ago with a career in mind. Now, sailors with that career plan are getting pink slips as the military looks for places to save money. Since June, 16,000 mid-career sailors have been waiting to find out if they will be forced out early. Last week, the Navy began its layoffs when the first of two rounds of personnel cuts were announced. Read the original story at nbcsandiego.com "Nobody ever wants to pass this sort of bad news to somebody," said Captain Winton Smith, Naval Station San Diego's commanding officer. "It's a...

The Ministry of Defence is investigating claims that a soldier sliced fingers off dead Taliban fighters to keep as souvenirs.

In March 2010, Nancy Pelosi warned us that we had to pass ObamaCare to “find out what’s in it.” What is in it is jobs for China. What’s not in it is jobs for Americans, as the Boston Globe reports today (via NewsAlert): Boston Scientific Corp. said yesterday that it plans to eliminate 1,200 to 1,400 jobs worldwide during the next 2 1/2 years to free money for new investments, the Natick medical device maker’s second major round of cuts since last year. The company would not say how many jobs will be lost in Massachusetts, where fewer than 2,000...

What are you afraid of, Mr. President? I know it must be tough dragging yourself to these glitzy fund-raisers and mingling with rich people who shower you with money and affection. Who needs an unfriendly reporter shouting an unscripted question at you, or checking to see whether any of the guests are getting government contracts? We all know Obama has an aversion to tough questions. During the campaign, he would refuse to engage with most local media, and reporters who camped out at the rope line got a stern talking-to from a campaign staffer. But using the White House press...

Malaria mosquitoes utilize CO2 from exhaled air to localize humans from afar. In the vicinity of their preferred host, they alter their course towards the human feet. Researcher Remco Suer discovered how female malaria mosquitoes use foot odors in the last meters to guide them to their favoured biting place. Suer, who is defending his doctoral thesis May 9 at Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR, sees possibilities to disrupt the host seeking behaviour of the malaria mosquito. African malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae, use their olfactory organs, two antennae, two mouthparts (maxillary palps) and the proboscis, to search for their...

Reality must be setting in for the Egyptian people, as a new article in the New York Times is reporting that “the jokes have stalled, another sign that Egypt’s revolution has too.” Glenn gave his reaction on radio. “When punch line is no longer a lifeline for Egyptians. It’s a story that talks about how the Egyptians have used humor to get through, you know, dark periods for a very, very long time and they were doing that with, you know, with the revolution,” Glenn said.

The U.S. Socialist Workers Party is sending cadre fresh from the battlefields of Madison, Wisconsin, to Cairo, to peddle Marxist literature to the Egyptian masses. From the Militant “I just returned from Madison, Wisconsin, this past weekend, meeting and talking to working people involved in the fight there, introducing them to the Militant,” said Dan Fein, a worker at a pharmaceutical plant in New York. “Soon, I’ll be doing the same thing in Cairo.” Fein is part of a team of socialist workers from the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom who will travel to Egypt to participate in the...

President Obama's propaganda priorities are becoming clearer. Does the community activist-in-chief care about a billion Chinese and what they know about their dictatorial government? Community organizers are supposed to speak truth to power. How can the Chinese people speak truth to power when they are cut off from learning the truth? Bill Gertz of the Washington Times reports: The Obama administration will cancel shortwave radio broadcasts by Voice of America into China this year, as Beijing is expanding its propaganda operations in the United States and around the world. Critics of the broadcasting cuts, announced Monday, said major reductions in...

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A former Indiana mayor who won four terms in the 1930s and 1950s is proving less popular with modern-day city leaders, who say they probably won't name a new government center for him because of the jokes his moniker could inspire. Harry Baals is the runaway favorite in online voting to name the new building in Fort Wayne, about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis. But Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said that probably won't be enough to put the name of the city's longest-tenured mayor on the center. The issue is pronunciation. The former mayor pronounced his...

(Reuters) - Oil slipped on Thursday as markets weighed disappointing U.S. jobless claims data and the prospect OPEC would raise output should prices break above $100 a barrel for an extended period. A delegate from a Gulf OPEC member state said OPEC will only hold an emergency meeting if oil bursts into triple digits and stays there, although the group's Gulf members could informally add supply if needed. Brent crude rallied to near $99 a barrel earlier this week, raising concerns it could break past $100, driving up fuel costs and threatening the fragile economic recovery. U.S. weekly initial unemployment...

Texas woman, 24, receives “nominal” settlement over incident JANUARY 13--The woman who sued the Transportation Security Administration after her breasts were exposed during a frisking at a Texas airport will receive a “nominal” payment from the government as part of a legal settlement, The Smoking Gun has learned. The settlement was disclosed in documents filed last week in U.S. District Court in Amarillo, where Lynsie Murley last year filed a lawsuit accusing the TSA of negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress in connection with the May 2008 incident at the Corpus Christi airport. Murley’s lawyer, Jerry McLaughlin, declined to...

A flotilla of ships titled the "Viva Palestina" convoy, hailed by organizers as the largest convoy to break the Gaza embargo, is set to depart this weekend, organizers announced Thursday. The flotilla has been cleared to sail from Syria to the Egyptian port of Al-Arish, from where it will make its way into Gaza. The Egyptian government announced that it will allow the aid convoy to dock at Al-Arish seaport while en route to Gaza. Hussam Zaki of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the convoy will be allowed access to Gaza however he insisted George Galloway, the British ex-parliamentarian

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The presidential seal has fallen off President Barack Obama's podium and clattered to the stage as Obama delivered a speech to a women's conference. The president was joking with the audience and getting some laughs when he realized what happened. "All of you know who I am," he quipped. Obama told the audience that somebody in the back was really nervous, referring to the staffer who hung the seal on the front of the lectern so precariously.

4:50 p.m. - Few Republican lawmakers were as stung by Rep. Mike Castle's surprising loss to his conservative GOP opponent as Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe. In a hallway just off the Senate floor Thursday afternoon, she sounded off about her place as a moderate in the GOP, and voter anger she says she understands. Visibly sad, Snowe called Castle "an outstanding public servant who was committed to the common good of his state and country." The longer Snowe talked about the state of the GOP and the Tea Party movement, the more riled up she got. "Understand, there are...

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Just two days after her upset of Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) in the state's Republican Senate primary, Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell shared a stage with New Castle County Executive Chris Coons (D) in their first meeting of the general election contest. Thanks to the format of the yearly candidate forum sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Delaware, the stage was shared by eight candidates, but the main attraction was the impending battle between O'Donnell and Coons. The result was a standing-room-only crowd in a packed auditorium. The forum was an early test for O'Donnell, who despite having...

A US Senate committee has approved a wide-ranging cybersecurity bill that some critics have suggested would give the US president the authority to shut down parts of the Internet during a cyberattack.

NOTE The following text is a quote: Innospec Agent Pleads Guilty to Bribing Iraqi Officials and Paying Kickbacks Under the Oil for Food Program WASHINGTON—Canadian/Lebanese dual national Ousama M. Naaman pleaded guilty today to participating in an eight-year conspiracy to defraud the United Nations Oil for Food Program (OFFP) and to bribe Iraqi government officials in connection with the sale of a chemical additive used in the refining of leaded fuel, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. Naaman, 61, of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was originally indicted on Aug. 7, 2008, in U.S. District...

Last week, President Obama's job approval rating sank to 46 percent in a Gallup poll, matching the lowest weekly job approval rating of his presidency. Few Americans were surprised. Obama's bumbling response to the BP oil spill drove the latest decline in his popularity almost equally among Democrats, Republicans and independents. But another Gallup poll taken about the same time contained even worse news for the president. After a year and a half of "hope and change," 49 percent of Americans consider the Democratic Party "too liberal" -- compared with 39 percent in 2008, when Obama was elected. This is...

"STOCKHOLM -- Princess Madeleine of Sweden has broken off her engagement with attorney Jonas Bergstrom, the Royal Court announced Saturday. "The reasons for the break up were not disclosed, but Norwegian magazine Se og Hoer published an interview this week with a woman named Tora Uppstroem Berg who claimed she had spent a night with the princess' fiance at a popular Swedish skiing resort last year."

Senate Republicans have backed away from a plan to offer hundreds of amendments to slow the passage of healthcare reform fixes under budget reconciliation. This means the Senate will finish work on House-demanded changes to healthcare reform law sooner than expected. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had hoped to finish the process by Friday or Saturday but now Thursday afternoon appears a possible end-point.

Special report: Next month’s UN report will drag British-based miner Xstrata into the controversy over surcharges paid to Saddam.... Glencore is also known as the company founded by Marc Rich, the commodities trader who fled to Switzerland from the US after being charged for embargo-busting in Iran following the Khomeini revolution. Four years ago, Rich was pardoned by President Bill Clinton on Clinton’s last day in the White House.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday formally cut off $11 million in aid to Honduras in response to the June 28 military coup that ousted the elected president of the poor Central American nation. The decision was taken by the board of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which aids countries with a track record of sound governance and economic policy and is headed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The State Department announced last week that it was terminating more than $30 million in non-humanitarian aid to Honduras, including the $11 million from the MCC, to pressure...

FORT LEE, Va., July 16, 2009 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Brad Turner, also known as “The Grill Sergeant,” often treats others using his culinary expertise. But recently, Turner got a treat of his own. Army Sgt. 1st Class Brad Turner, known as “The Grill Sergeant,” takes a look at what Chef Bobby Flay cooked up for an episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," filmed at Fort Lee, Va., July 2, 2009. The episode will air on the Food Network later this year. U.S. Army photo by Kimberly Fritz   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Turner recently returned here,...

It's 8:00 CST. At 8:30 the sheep of the world are turning their lights off to "Save The Planet." Personally, I'm walking around the house turning on every light and appliance I own. Hell, I may burn some steel belted radials just to add to the glare. Flip on those lights, folks!

During the daily White House press briefing today one reporter seemed to be having a hard time staying awake.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday stormed off the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, red-faced after verbally sparring with President Shimon Peres over the recent fighting in Gaza. Erdogan was angry after being cut off by a panel moderator after listening to an impassioned monologue by Peres defending Israel's recent 22-day offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Authorities to Hold News Conference on Fate of Boy Whose Grandfather Has Been Tied to Mexican Drug RingNevada officials have deactivated an Amber Alert for kidnapped 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger. They gave no reason for the cancellation. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced a news conference to be held at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT). Puffinburger was kidnapped Wednesday morning from his Las Vegas home. His grandfather, Clemens Tinnemeyer, 51, was arrested by the FBI on Friday as a "person of interest" in the case. He was taken into custody in Riverside, Calif., and is being held at the...

Dear (Technoman): Thank you for contacting me about gas prices and offshore drilling, issues that have polarized public opinion in recent months. The high cost of gas has become a major burden for families across the country, but we're seeing two very different ideas for how to address this problem. Republicans, led by a few hearty voices in the House of Representatives, are suggesting that the only solution to this problem is to plant as many oil rigs off our coastline as possible, no matter the consequences. Democrats are countering that while we must harness our national resources, we gain...

Call Congress back to have an up-or-down vote on a comprehensive energy bill which includes expanded drilling for oil. There is a petition here: http://www.callbackcongress.com/

Here's what's making our state shut down at midnight. This is what the dim dam Dems want :

Prosecutors promised on Monday to prove that Texas oilman Oscar Wyatt paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's government, earning him a privileged position in Iraq. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Miller told jurors at opening arguments of Wyatt's trial that prosecutors would present photos, audio tapes, bank records, U.N. records and Iraqi government records proving Wyatt paid kickbacks to win Iraqi oil contracts . "Oscar Wyatt's years of assistance to the Hussein regime earned him a privileged status in Iraq," Miller said. Wyatt, an 83-year-old self-made oil tycoon, faces five counts in Manhattan federal court including engaging in...

The man responsible for protecting Egypt's antiquities has said he will "fight" for the return of an ancient bust of Nefertiti, an ancient Egyptian queen, now housed in a Berlin museum. Zahi Hawass also requested the temporary return of other ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone which is housed in London's British museum. "Some people say, 'If we give this bust to Egypt for three months they will not return it'." Hawass said, regarding the bust of Nefertiti, in an interview on Wednesday.Zahi Hawass is seeking "unique artifacts" from at least 10 museums around the world [AP]Germany says the...

"The Arab states are not seeking to wipe Israel off the map," Lebanese Prime Minister Faud Saniora claimed in a New York Times editorial on Friday morning. "Rather," he continued, "we are seeking the legitimate goals of an armistice, secure borders and the ability of all of the region's people to live in peace and security." Saniora went on to say that the Winograd Committee's interim report on the Second Lebanon War failed to draw the most essential lesson that "military action does not give the people of Israel security," adding that compromise and diplomacy were the answer to instability....

LA HABRA, Calif. — An Orange County man cut off his mother's head with a circular saw and then died after trying to decapitate himself, authorities said. Police answered a 911 report of a family dispute at a Pinehurst Avenue home just after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, entered a locked bedroom and found the body of 60-year-old Guadalupe Ruiz on a bed, police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said. Arthur Ruiz Jr., 32, was on another bed with the saw nearby. He had died of neck injuries, police said. It was unclear why Ruiz attacked his mother, police said. A child and three...

(CBS) POMONA, Calif. A man with a prosthetic leg that fell off while he tried to flee from police was arrested Tuesday a short time after he allegedly burglarized a market in Pomona, Calif. with an accomplice, who escaped, police said. Gregory Daniels, 48, was booked for burglary following the crime, which occurred about 3:10 a.m. PDT at the Pomona Ranch Market, Pomona police Sgt. E. Vazquez said.

Total Recall A French oil giant's deals with a rogue regime--this time in Iran. Don't stop us if you've heard this one: French oil giant Total SA is being investigated for illicit dealings with a rogue regime in the Middle East. This time it's Iran, but maybe you recall its experience with another dictator and something called Oil for Food. A French judge is investigating bribes that Total executives allegedly paid Iranian officials to secure business in the Islamic Republic. Last week, the judge issued preliminary charges of abuse of company funds and corruption of foreign agents against Chief Executive...

Total's CEO Charged in Iran Probe By PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD The Associated Press Thursday, March 22, 2007; 6:26 PM PARIS -- An investigating judge filed preliminary charges Thursday against the chief executive of Total SA in a corruption case linked to a 1997 contract with Iran, the company and judicial officials said. Preliminary charges were filed against Total Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie for alleged abuse of company assets and corruption of foreign agents, the judicial officials said. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the case and provided information only on condition of anonymity. De Margerie, who replaced Thierry...

Stocks tumbled Tuesday as investors fretted about the resiliency of the consumer, amid further concerns about the subprime lending industry, disappointing retail-sales data and weakness in the tech sector. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 242.66, or 2%, to 12075.96. Year-to-date, it is now down 3.1%. The S&P 500 lost 28.65, also a 2% drop, to 1377.95, off 2.8% year to date. The Nasdaq Composite Index was off 51.72, or 2.2%, to 2350.57. It is 2.7% lower on the year. Each of the three indexes suffered its second-biggest decline of the year. The indexes started off moderately lower as a...

Any equity selloff as large as yesterday's will produce a multitude of explanations. Among other culprits, we heard about "overbought" Chinese stocks that were due for a correction, a weak durable goods report, the Kabul explosion aimed at Vice President Dick Cheney (see below), and former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan for declaring Monday that a "recession" was possible later this year. Our own "whodunit" contribution would point to the mortgage-related markets, which sold off nearly as much as stocks. This reflects the cracks appearing in the housing credit markets, especially in subprime loans but with some damage up the...

Body reveals its inflammation 'off switch' 18:00 01 October 2006 NewScientist.com news service Deb MacKenzie Researchers have shed light on how the body switches off its immune response, a key step towards understanding autoimmune diseases and controlling inflammation. When immune cells die, they transform into “sponges” that soak up the molecules responsible for causing inflammation, researchers have discovered. The new information may lead to better drugs to treat inflammatory disorders, such as eczema. Inflammation is characterised by a red, painful swelling around a wound caused by blood fluids, proteins and immune cells flooding into an area of the body in...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 – As the Iraqi army gains in numbers and capability, so too does the country’s air force, which aims to grow to 2,500 airmen by the year’s end, the commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team said. Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Hoog cited impressive improvement over the past six months, noting that the Iraqi air force continues to grow and improve its ability support the counterinsurgency mission. The Iraqi air force’s counterinsurgency mission consists primarily of aerial observation and surveillance and air transportation. Officials believe it is critical for Iraq’s long-term ability to...

Defense Department to Kick Off ‘Why We Serve’ TourBy Steven Donald SmithAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2006 -- Beginning next week, 13 servicemembers from across the force will fan out across the country to speak about their military experience. Thirteen servicemembers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan meet with Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England before they begin their speaking tour across the country. The Why We Serve speaking tour is a program created to respond to the requests of the American people who invite returning veterans to participate in community events and a variety of public affairs...

US brushes off 'crap' accusation Mr Prescott made "an honest and good point", Mr Cohen said The White House has made light of reports alleging that John Prescott said George Bush had been "crap" on the Middle East peace process. Tony Snow, a White House spokesman, said: "The president has been called a lot worse and I suspect will be." Mr Snow added that President Bush would have to face "piquant names" being hurled at him from time to time. The deputy prime minister said the reports of his comments in a private meeting with MPs were inaccurate. However, Mr...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2006 – Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers of Multinational Division Baghdad yesterday launched the second phase of Operation Together Forward to increase security and reduce violence in Baghdad. The operation is a combined effort between Iraqi police, the Iraqi army, and Multinational Division Baghdad to reduce murders, kidnappings, assassinations, terrorism and sectarian violence in the city and to reinforce the Iraqi government’s control of Baghdad, U.S. officials said. Phase 2, which is supported by the government of Iraq, began with the combined forces of the Iraqi National Police and the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry...

IN THE WEST, Qana, a small Lebanese village southeast of Tyre, is believed by some to be the place where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine. In Lebanon and throughout the wider Arab and Muslim world, however, the village's name has for the last decade been synonymous with something else: the killing in April 1996 of more than 100 men, women and children who had taken refuge in a U.N. compound, hiding from Israeli shelling directed at Hezbollah. Over time, Qana has been sculpted by Hezbollah into a symbol of martyrdom, a Shiite version of Sabra and...

7/26/2006 - TARIN KOWT, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- When people deployed to Afghanistan say a location is "hot," it could mean one of two things. Either it feels like the sun is closer than the moon, or the enemy is lurking about. Here, both meanings apply. For pilots, that equates to making quick pit stops here so they can get in and out of this danger zone as quickly as possible. For Tech. Sgt. Philip Lester, deployed from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., that means enduring a 140-degree heat blast from behind C-130 Hercules engines as he unloads cargo and passengers...

While the United Nations frames its next response to crisis in the Middle East, its last grand venture in that region--Oil for Food--has finally resulted in a guilty verdict in open court. Last Thursday, a high-rolling, globe-trotting South Korean businessman named Tongsun Park was convicted in the Southern District of New York of conspiracy to launder money and act as an unregistered agent of Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Mr. Park's case is much entwined with the executive floor of the U.N. For years, he enjoyed extraordinary access to its top officials, complete (at least at one stage) with a U.N. grounds...

The story had everything: secret agents, political intrigue, personal betrayal and cash. Lots and lots of cash. Yet, for all that, a remarkable trial that ended last week in a Manhattan courtroom—a proceeding that implicated figures in the highest echelons of international politics—was barely mentioned in the major American press. If it weren’t for the journalistic wing of the conservative movement, outlets like the National Review Online and The New York Sun, it might not have been covered at all. Take the events of last Thursday, for example. After two weeks of testimony, a jury took only a few hours...

San Juan, Jul 4 (EFE).- Four men who fired off guns on a beach in southern Puerto Rico were killed by an angry father who mistakenly thought his daughter had been struck by one of their shots, police said Tuesday. Ernesto Albarran, 19; Cristian Flores, 21; Armando Castro, 25, and his brother Angel, 20, fired shots Monday night on La Jungla beach in the town of Guanica, according to the preliminary investigation. Adan Torres Quiñones noticed the gunplay and thought his daughter had been hit when he saw her throw herself on the sand to dodge the bullets. Enraged, he...

Jim Marshall vote’s for it after he votes against itTakes the lesson out of John Kerry’s Election Playbook(Warner Robins, GA)- Jim Marshall was recently ranked the 407th least effective member of Congress by Knowlegis, a government relations information management company, which surveyed all U.S. Senators and Congressman and ranked them in accordance with how effective they are in advancing a particular agenda. Yesterday, Jim Marshall demonstrated why he deserves one of the lowest rankings in the House of Representatives. The Timeline:May 18th 2006 – Jim Marshall votes against the Poe of Texas Amendments which would have allowed for environmentally friendly...