Free Republic

BARCELONA (Reuters) – A company behind plans to open the first hotel in space says it is on target to accept its first paying guests in 2012 despite critics questioning the investment and time frame for the multi-billion dollar project. The Barcelona-based architects of The Galactic Suite Space Resort say it will cost 3 million euro (2.7 million pounds) for a three-night stay at the hotel, with this price including an eight-week training course on a tropical island. During their stay, guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day and travel around the world every 80 minutes. They...

NYSE Open Disrupted By Flood Of Orders On 2:44 pm EDT, Friday October 30, 2009 NEW YORK (Reuters) - A huge influx of orders prevented the New York Stock Exchange from disseminating quotes shortly after the start of trading on Friday. (NYSE:NYX - News; Paris:NYX.PA - News), the parent of the exchange, said the delays followed "an inordinate influx" of orders received as Friday's session got under way. Later in the session, the company had to temporarily transfer quote processing to a backup system. The exchange's quote delays caused some tickers to be locked, but an NYSE spokesman said "trades...

BAGHDAD — Maya road, the major access road just outside the Victory Base Complex (VBC) here, opened to traffic, Aug 1. For the past three months, the formerly pothole-plagued dirt path underwent a complete overhaul. It is now a smooth concrete means of travel for both military and Iraqi civilian traffic. One of the greatest achievements of this construction project is that it will now reduce the footprint of Coalition forces in line with the June 30 Security Agreement. "It is not only an easier means of travel, it also keeps military traffic out of the cities," said Capt. Steven...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces raided a camp housing members of an Iranian opposition group north of Baghdad on Tuesday in a move that ran contrary to U.S. wishes and prompted clashes. Residents of Camp Ashraf claimed the Iraqi troops opened fire and beat people with batons, killing four people. The Iraqi government confirmed authorities had moved into the camp but denied violence was used against the exiles.

The American Civil Liberties Union has sent a letter to the Loveland Police Department alleging that officers illegally searched and briefly detained a man carrying a gun at South Shore Parkway. On Thursday, the ACLU sent a formal complaint to Loveland Police Chief Luke Hecker and 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office chief investigator Elliot Phelps. The organization is questioning the way police dealt with Loveland resident Bill Miller at South Shore Parkway on Oct. 7, 2008. The ACLU has not sued the city but asked in its letter that the Police Department turn over all records connected to the incident,...

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed confidence today in the U.S. military offensive in southern Afghanistan but left the door open to additional troops in the country if the situation calls for it. Admiral Mike Mullen sought to clarify an apparent disagreement with National Security Adviser Jim Jones, who reportedly told commanders in Afghanistan not to expect any additional troops. Admiral Mullen said he would wait to hear from General Stanley McChrystal, the new head commander in Afghanistan, who is conducting a 60 day assessment

President Barack Obama left the door open to a new tax on health care benefits Wednesday, and officials said top lawmakers and the White House were seeking $150 billion in concessions from the nation's hospitals as they sought support for legislation struggling to emerge in Congress. "I don't want to prejudge what they're doing," the president said, referring to proposals in the Senate to tax workers who get expensive insurance policies. Obama, who campaigned against the tax when he ran for president, drew a quick rebuff from one union president.

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell has advised Israel to relax restrictions at the Gaza crossings without demanding that Hamas free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, according to foreign and Israeli media. An American Embassy spokesman told Israel National News, “Mitchell will have to speak for himself. These are very sensitive issues.”

Undeterred by an on-court intruder, Federer beat surprise finalist Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Sunday to complete a career Grand Slam and win his 14th major title, matching Sampras' record. On his fourth try at Roland Garros, Federer became the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam championships. When the stylish Swiss hit a service winner on championship point, he fell on his knees to the clay that had vexed him for so long, screamed and briefly buried his face in his hands. He was teary by the time he met Soderling at the net, and fans gave...

WASHINGTON — President Obama said Wednesday that he was receptive to Congressional proposals that would require every American to have health insurance and that would force employers to offer health insurance to their employees. But he said there should be exemptions for people who cannot afford coverage and for small businesses in general.

Dear Fellow Americans– As you may know, there have been rumors spread about my knowledge of when and if I was informed of the CIA’s tactics of waterboarding prisoners prior to February. 5, 2003. I attempted to clear up this misinformation in a press conference this past week, but was savagely attacked by a very unprofessional media. If it seemed that I was erratic and confused at times during the questioning, it was because I was literally being publicly tortured by a very intolerant and biased media, especially CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and other mainstream media shouting unrelated questions at me...

AN OPEN LETTER TO GERALD PARSKY, CHAIRMAN, CALIFORNIA COMMISSION ON THE 21ST CENTURY ECONOMY - SPLIT COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TAX ROLL UNDER PROPOSITION 13 April 13, 2009 The Honorable Gerald Parsky, Chairman Commission on the 21st Century Economy C/O Mark Ibele, PhD, Staff Director http://www.cotce.ca.gov/ Re: California Prop 13 Split Property Tax Roll Dear Chairman Parsky: I read with consternation that the Commission for the 21st Century has convened with the apparent agenda to undo the protections of Proposition 13 for commercial properties in California - http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/apr/09/tax-panel-promises-to-think-boldly/ A split commercial/residential property tax roll would spell personal and financial ruination for me...

SCANIA — In adherence to the security agreement between the United States and Iraq, a recent ground-breaking ceremony here began the process of returning the southbound lanes of Baghdad Highway 1 to the people of Iraq. The southbound lanes, which have been closed since late 2003, will soon be fully accessible to the Iraqi people again. “This news will bring happiness to the local nationals and all the Babil Region,” said Majid Saleem Kareem, director general of roads and bridges for Babil Province. “An agreement was made, and Coalition forces are making sure that it is met.” Nearly 20 Iraqi...

ATLANTA -- A well-armed couple opened fire with an assault rifle and pistol early Friday morning on some car thieves in southwest Atlanta. The couple at a home in the 1900 block of Childress Drive told police that after somebody tried to steal their car last week, they rigged up a homemade alarm in their carport using string and cans.

It is said, philosophically, that there are no new thoughts, no unexplored concepts – just new ways of expressing what has been previously thought. That is the historical equivalent of saying that History repeats itself only in different detail. You see, for nearly as long as there has been representative government, people have gravitated toward factions or parties. We know England once had Whigs and Tories and is now dominated by a Labour Party and a Conservative Party. For the pre-Renaissance Florentines, there were the Guelfs and the Ghibellines. In time, the Ghibellines were driven out and the city was...

(IsraelNN.com) Following a meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday, newly-appointed American Middle East envoy George Mitchell called for open crossings into Gaza and greater Fatah involvement there. Talking to reporters after his discussions with Fatah leader Abbas and other PA officials, Mitchell said, "To be successful in preventing the illicit traffic of arms into Gaza, there must be a mechanism to allow the flow of legal goods. And that should be with the participation of the [Fatah-controlled] Palestinian Authority." Fatah is the faction currently heading the Judea and Samaria half of the Authority, while the...

Ok boys and girls here is a chance to defend what you hold dear and near to your religion. For years now I have seen threads that make statements that I do not agree with but can not respond to because they hide behind the guise of being a devotional, or a caucus, or ecumenical. So here is a chance for open debate for all things that have been closed to opposing views in the past. There will be only two guide lines no personal attacks and no posting of numerous links in a response or making a point. If...

This morning, David Axelrod appeared on Fox Chicago Sunday and had some notable remarks on both the local and national fronts. He said that President-elect Barack Obama plans to stay out of Prairie State politics once in the White House and doesn't plan on being "a kingmaker or boss here in Illinois." When co-host Dane Placko asked him about the vacant U.S. Senate seat, Axelrod disclosed that the Obama has spoken to Gov. Blagojevich about his replacement. Watch it: ...

Here's video of a scene that would play out much differently in most places outside New Hampshire...Ryan Marvin of Manchester shows up to file a complaint against the police while openly wearing his massive .22. http://youtube.com/watch?v=zrhmhxDd1S4

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage (D.Sc.D., Ph.D., F.R.S.E.) is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on Savior’s mission and message, expounding all scriptures in one on the various aspects of the life of our Redeemer. CHAPTER 39 MINISTRY OF THE RESURRECTED CHRIST ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE By considering the apostolic ministry in immediate sequence to our study of the Lord's ascension from the Mount of Olives, we have departed from the chronological order of the several personal manifestations of the risen Savior to...

CALLING ON ALL REPUBLICANS IN THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS Last night Hillery said she was "ready to defeat the Republicans" I say we have a rare opportunity to take her on directly, and take her out. The state of Texas has open voting. We should all tell/plead/beg our friends and family in Texas to "pimp" ourselves out for one day. Vote Obama and sweep that woman into the dust bin of history. Here's our chance republicans - why do you hesitate? Like it or not, Maverick is our horse. His nomination is sure. Lets use our vote wisely on...

BAGHDAD, Feb. 14, 2008 – Iraqi police stations officially opened for business Feb. 10 in the Adil, Khadra and Jamia neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital’s Mansour district. An Iraqi policeman takes roll at the Adil police station in western Baghdad, Feb. 9, 2008, prior to police training. Iraqi police stations officially opened for business in three neighborhoods of Baghdad’s Mansour district the next day. Photo by Sgt. James P. Hunter, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. More than 490 recruits graduated from the Camp Fiji Iraqi Police Training Facility in Baghdad, and more than 260 of them were...

A felony conviction and subsequent deportation didn’t stop Manuel Enrique Morales from crossing the border to return to Mesa, where police allege he and others terrorized victims with an assault rifle in a series of home invasions. This time, though, the 19-year-old illegal immigrant is going to stay awhile because police jailed him and five alleged accomplices in the spree of armed robberies that span from Nov. 16-29. Home invasions were becoming so rampant in Mesa in recent months that police formed a special task force to address the problem, which they believed was the work of as many as...

Primaries: Open and Closed Open primaries (or pick-a-party) are those in which voters of any affiliation may vote for the slate of any party.Closed primaries are those in which only the voters affiliated with a party may vote in its primary.Blanket primaries (or "jungle primaries") are those in which voters, regardless of affiliation, may choose the party primary in which they want to vote on an office-by-office basis. The blanket primary was struck down in 2001 by the Supreme Court in CA Democratic Party v. Jones. The following is a running list of states by primary type: open, potentially closed,...

Justine Henin cruised to a second US Open and seventh Grand Slam title with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in Saturday's final. The Belgian went into the match with a 14-2 record against Kuznetsova, and having beaten Serena and Venus Williams in her last two matches. And Henin, 25, played some more fabulous tennis as she broke three times in dominating the first set. She kept up that form in the second to regain the title she first won in 2003. "It's such a great feeling - my first win four years ago was an amazing memory and...

PATROL BASE DRAGON — Children play. They get dirty, swim in canals and climb up trees; risk is part of the game. When accidents happen, it is nice to have a place to go for cuts, scrapes and serious injuries. For the Iraqi children who live in the countryside just yards from Patrol Base Dragon, near the Euphrates River, that place is the Battalion Aid Station run by Capt. Christopher “Kit” Dominguez, a native of Grand Junction, Colo., and physician’s assistant for Company C, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort...

Below is a video of my August 5 open carry incident in New Hampshire. It starts audio-only then the video picks up a minute or two later when our pro photographer runs to the scene. Basically I'm a liberty activist here; I wear a holstered pistol in public roughly once a week. It's legal in New Hampshire but not that common south of the notches. Cops sometimes ignore, sometimes harass you for doing it. When that happens to me, I don't get angry but use the chance to educate police about the open carry rights of NH citizens. I was...

Aaron Swartz today announced the launch of the new Open Library project. The goal of the project is to produce the world's greatest library on the Internet free for anyone to use. Starting with the Internet Archive's book scanning project and organizing the insertion of new content via a wiki-type model the project seems to be off to a great start. The demo, source code, and mailing lists were all opened up today in hopes of drawing interest from the public at large.

KREIDI — U.S. forces joined local Iraqis to celebrate the opening of new water wells in Kreidi and Mualih Hasso, two villages near Forward Operating Base Qayyarah in the Ninevah province. Soldiers with 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment and Company B, 431st Civil Affairs (CA) Battalion participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony in Kreidi put on by leaders from both villages to commemorate the occasion. “Today is a good day,” said Dr. Mohammed Ismael Ahmed, a local physician and a tribal liaison for multiple small villages in the area. “The water from these wells will be used for washing,...

The United States could take in up to 25,000 Iraqi refugees this year -- more than three times the number it previously agreed to admit -- in an effort to provide some relief to the crisis affecting several Arab countries, the State Department said yesterday.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is touring the hardest-hit of California's farmland today, as efforts continue to gauge the damage done by the recent cold snap. The tour of Central Valley farms and orchards coincides with the opening of one-stop assistance centers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and 16 other communities for agricultural workers out of work because of the frigid temperatures. The centers are offering job and unemployment assistance, food, healthcare and other services, according to the governor's office. New centers are at the following locations: * Workforce Development Center 1151 Spruce Street Riverside, CA 92507 * San Bernardino Employment...

Stuck Mojo guitarist and songwriter, Rich "The Duke" Ward, will be appearing on the Fox Radio Network (FNC) at approximately 7:10 EST, Tuesday, December 19th on John Gibson's "The Big Story" to discuss the song/video "Open Season" from the new Stuck Mojo album "Southern Born Killers." To listen, click on the link below and choose the "Listen Live" button. http://www.foxnews.com/bigstory/index.htmlWith "Open Season," Stuck Mojo has taken a stand against the current, global jihad being waged by violent, Islamic extremists. This war is not only against America or Western Civilization, but against anyone who does not agree with their interpretation...

Excited with anticipation, local children watch as the concrete walls are laid and the rebar for columns are installed. Working through the Provincial Reconstruction Development Council and the local maneuver unit, the 25th Infantry Division, the Governorate of Kirkuk requested the construction of a permanent facility to replace the tent school in Zakros. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Mike Bransford New Iraq-Zakros Primary School to Open in Kirkuk By Polli Barnes Keller U.S. Army Corps of Engineers TIKRIT, Iraq, Nov. 21, 2006 -- Construction of a $269,000 primary school that will educate approximately 300 children began September...

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Nov. 17, 2006 -- In advance of the holiday season and its 51st season of tracking Santa Claus on his annual journey around the world, the North American Aerospace Defense Command today activated its “NORAD Tracks Santa” Web site for 2006. The U.S.-Canadian command’s program began in 1955 when an errant phone call was made to NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The call was from a local child who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a local newspaper advertisement. The commander who answered the phone that...

VIENNA (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday Iran was open to "new conditions" to resolve its nuclear dispute with Western powers and believed talks could produce agreement. "We are in favor of dialogue and negotiation and we believe that we can resolve the problems in a context of dialogue and of justice together," Ahmadinejad told a news conference during a visit to the Senegalese capital Dakar. "I am announcing that we are available, we are ready for new conditions," he said without elaborating, before leaving to fly to a summit of Non-Alignment Movement countries in Cuba. The United...

NEW YORK - Maria Sharapova began the U.S. Open with as much buzz about her sponsorships as her strokes, as much talk about her getups as her game. She's long insisted she's more about substance than style, though, and now she owns a second Grand Slam title to prove it. Better on the biggest points all night, the third-seeded Sharapova beat No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open final Saturday to add a follow-up championship to her breakthrough title at Wimbledon in 2004. "I experienced it two years ago, and I knew that I wasn't done," Sharapova...

The patrol pulled up and men of the U.K. 3 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment jump out of their vehicles and approached a crowd of waiting men. Unlike most places in Iraq the airmen are relaxed. They are able to remove their helmets and conceal their weapons as they meet and greet the familiar faces of the Shaghamba tribe. For the Iraqis and British airmen the occasion is a happy one. The ceremony marked the completion of a project financed by Coalition forces in Iraq to pump water into a Marsh Arab village near Basra Air Station. "We are very...

AMD is strongly considering a move to open source its newly acquired ATI graphics drivers, according to a report at InfoWorld. The decision would provide the opportunity for independent developers to ramp up performance for X Window, OpenGL and client virtualization, areas in which ATI binary drivers are currently not available. News of AMD’s deliberations comes hot on the heels of Intel’s decision to open up the source code for 2D and 3D acceleration in its upcoming 965 Express Chipset family graphics controller. Linux users will no longer have to rely on proprietary driver software to get the best performance...

7/19/2006 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Fifty-eight Air Force engineers filling a shortage of Soldiers in Iraq have completed more than a dozen construction projects, often under fire, throughout a 10,000-square-mile zone for the Army's 1st Brigade Combat Team. After six months, the Airmen of the 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's Detachment 10 have maintained and repaired six convoy routes and seven forward-operating bases. "It's been very strenuous, and sometimes extremely dangerous. I'm ready to get home, see my family and unwind," said Master Sgt. Ken Dunbar, Det. 10 superintendent of operations and acting first sergeant. "We have...

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2006 – United Service Organizations of Metropolitan Washington will get a sizeable boost from Northrop Grumman Corporation tomorrow to help establish its newest military airport lounge, at Washington Dulles International Airport here. Jerry Agee, the company's corporate vice president, will present a $50,000 check to Elaine B. Rogers, president of the USO of Metropolitan Washington, to begin development of the lounge. Northrop Grumman has committed another $375,000 over a five-year period to support USO's operating budget at Dulles, said Adrienne Trout, vice president of communication and development for USO of Metropolitan Washington. "USO is very excited," she...

In the eyes of the federal agents who secretly watched him, Alberto Zatarain was a drug dealer who made all the right moves. He had at least three aliases. He switched cell phones every month and drove ugly old cars to avoid notice. After dark, he holed up and watched TV inside a rented matchbox house in Richfield that rattled from low-flying jets. No clubs, no parties, no women. And every few months, when another runner came up from Mexico, Zatarain handed off suitcases of cash -- profits from a booming business that stretched from metro suburbs to farm towns...

Condi and Sergei air differences over an open microphone By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow (Filed: 01/07/2006) Condoleezza Rice, America's secretary of state, is famed for her sang froid but one person seems to be able to rattle her - Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister. The pair are known to have goaded each other on several occasions, reflecting the souring relationship between Washington and Moscow. However, a candid conversation between the pair was revealed to the world when a technician failed to switch off an audio feed during a closed-door lunch at a meeting of foreign ministers in Moscow. For...

PARIS (AFP) - Israeli soldier Shahar Peer was one of the top marksmen in her military training and now she has Martina Hingis in her sights at the The 19-year-old Peer knocked out Russian sixth seed Elena Dementieva 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday and faces Hingis on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals. Win or lose, Peer will continue to combine her tennis career with her obligation to serve two years military service with the Israeli army. "I had to train with weapons during my two and half weeks basic training. I was one of the best in shooting. I...

Lorena Solorio remembers her younger brother teasing her as a child, telling her he was better than she was. Born in the United States, he was a citizen. Brought to the country in the trunk of a car, she was not. ``I couldn't understand why we had to sneak in,'' she said Sunday. Now an employee of Catholic Charities of San Jose and a U.S. citizen, Solorio works with many children who are in the country illegally. As the national debate over illegal immigration continues to swirl, she said, she sees in those children the same confusion she felt as...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., May 19, 2006 – The military showcased its personnel and equipment for its own today as the annual Joint Service Open House kicked off here. Duluth, Minn., Air National Guardsman Maj. John Klatt poses for photos with Abreanna Ball, 9, at the Joint Service Open House at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., May 19. Abreanna was touring the military displays with students from Benjamin D. Foulois Elementary School near the base. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The festivities, open today for military and civilian defense security badge holders...

President Bush plans to address the nation on Monday night at 8 PM to con the American public into buying into his ludicrous immigration policies. His approval ratings are at an all-time low, with only 31% of Americans approving of his job performance, while "68% believe the United States is worse off today than it was before Mr. Bush became president." Bush's immigration policies would open the floodgates to illegals, and Americans do not approve -- and it looks like the Senate agrees. Another poll shows support for the House's tough and very sensible immigration legislation, HR 4437: ...69 percent...

cspan 2 now. Saying the USA must accept internation migration This is foreign ministers giving the talking points of the DNC.

The state Legislature's legal adviser says the University of California regents have violated state open-meeting laws by voting behind closed doors on executive pay packages. In a 12-page opinion, the Office of Legislative Counsel wrote that the state Education Code requires regents' committees to meet in public whenever they take action on compensation proposals involving the president, chancellors and certain other top executives. The regents have held at least a dozen such meetings in private during the past five years, UC records show. --snip-- "It is our opinion that a standing committee of the Board of Regents of the University...

DES MOINES, Iowa - Raising money for local Republicans even as he ponders his own political future, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Monday that Republicans must increasingly be "a big party" that accepts divergent views. Giuliani said that broad-brush themes, like limited government, ought to define the Republican Party — not hot-button social issues like abortion and gay rights. "The major thing that we organize around as Republicans is government that puts more reliance on people than government," Giuliani said. "They (Democrats) tend to think of government solutions as most of the answers." Giuliani was in Iowa...

British troops in Iraq are afraid to open fire, secret MoD report confirms By Sean Rayment. Defence Correspondent (Filed: 30/04/2006) British troops in Iraq "lack the confidence to open fire" because of a "fear of prosecution", says a confidential Ministry of Defence (MoD) report seen by The Sunday Telegraph. It confirms that soldiers believe that if they shoot dead insurgents they will become embroiled in a "protracted investigation" and if prosecuted will receive "no support from the chain of command". British troops show restraint when attacked in Basra The study into soldiers' confidence is understood to have been ordered by...