Free Republic

 First order of business: Thank you Florida! People there are still cleaning up after the hurricanes and some still do not have proper residences. Yet they took the time to stand in line to vote. We should all take the time to send a note of thanks to a friend in Florida. Y'all see all the red on that USA Today map? Check out the difference between the 2000 map and this year's.[1] Dubya is the first President to be re-elected and gain seats in both the House and Senate since 1936. The last President to receive an outright majority...

Bush supporters need not be concerned about a possible popular vote win but electoral college defeat. I did an extensive analysis this weekend of the popular vote according to the most recent polling for each of the 50 states + DC. I used the polling information from the Real Clear Politics website where they have polls listed for all 50 states + DC. My analysis showed that, as in 2000, there is a greater risk that the democrat party nominee could win the popular vote and lose the election in the electoral college. I took the 2000 turnout by state,...

Leaders of Iraq's religious parties have emerged as the country's most popular politicians and would win the largest share of votes if an election were held today, while the U.S.-backed government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is losing serious ground, according to a U.S.-financed poll by the International Republican Institute. More than 45 percent of Iraqis also believe that their country is heading in the wrong direction, and 41 percent say it is moving in the right direction. Within the Bush administration, a victory by Iraq's religious parties is viewed as the worst-case scenario. Washington has hoped that Allawi...

Want to Be a Rock Star? Hollywood Actors Find It's Not So Easy From Music Sensation to the Big Screen The hottest accessory for young starlets this year isn't a piece of jewelry or a pair of shoes. The must-have perk is something a bit harder to come by -- a recording contract.

Dodge gets more Ram power, hybrids get more popular Dodge adds two brawny Rams Daily Edition: Jun. 16, 2004 Chrysler is adding two brawny high-powered trucks to its Dodge Ram lineup, trying to assert its image for tough high-performance trucks in a category intensified by competitors' redesigned models. The Dodge Ram Power Wagon and SRT-10 Quad Cab will join the brand's lineup this fall for the 2005 model year. The two Ram derivatives, unveiled Tuesday, are part of an aggressive product rollout that began this year and will continue into 2007. It's the first time in 25 years Dodge has...

How would you rate the presidency of Ronald Reagan? Votes Outstanding - one of the best ever. 70% Good - better than average in history. 15% Average - not especially good or bad. 6% Poor - will not stand the test of time. 4% Terrible - one of the worst ever. 6%

I've had to open the Oval Office doors more frequently for a bad performance on television than for somebody whose temper flared enough to cause for such summons, since the doors to the Oval Office, and the term itself, debuted February 22 at Rockingham, NC. (And Francis Ferko should . . . I can't say it. He homewrecked two cities and a whole state to please himself.) But now the Oval Office doors are opening wide again for a looney show on the WB called "Superstar USA". "Auditions for The WB's Superstar USA were held in Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Orlando...

Source: Duke University Medical Center Date: 2004-02-06 Popular Drug For Chest Pain May Promote Blood Vessel Damage DURHAM, NC -- Nitroglycerin -- a drug commonly prescribed for the treatment of chest pain in patients with heart conditions -- has the frustrating property that its beneficial effects are short-lived. Now, new research conducted by a German group and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators at Duke University Medical Center reveals the cellular mechanism underlying the drug's lost efficacy and raises additional concern about its potential to cause long-term injury. In rats treated with nitroglycerin for a period of three days, the activity...

Legendary jazz musician Cornelius Bumpus died from a massive heart attack Tuesday morning while on a commercial flight from New York to San Francisco. The popular saxophonist was scheduled to perform at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center Friday night, as well as at a handful of other venues in the region. “It’s extremely horrible,” said Joan Sortini, executive director of the Merced County Arts Council. “We’re all nuts over here.” Bumpus had entertained jazz fans around the world for 40 years and built a name for himself with the Santa Cruz band Moby Grape. He went on to perform, compose...

As the presidential election year gets started, WorldNetDaily.com is ranked as the No. 1 most popular political site on the Internet, according to Alexa.com, the public Net ratings service affiliated with Amazon.com. The new rankings, released today, show WND at No. 1 followed by Slate, the news and opinion website owned by Microsoft. "This is quite an honor when you think about how many websites there are in the world offering political commentary," said Joseph Farah, founder and editor of WND. "But it's even more thrilling because we've never considered WND primarily a political site. It is first and foremost...

From The Washington Dispatch OpinionThe Easy Allure of "Lifestyle" Choices Exclusive commentary by Greg Lewis Nov 25, 2003 The values and behavior on display in the most insistent popular culture venues, particularly in popular music and music videos, are characterized by the gross over-representation of certain contemporary "lifestyles." Among other things, this has given rise to the notion that somehow "lifestyle" choices have as much validity or are as important to how we define ourselves as are legitimate "life" choices. There's a profound difference between the two, however, and the difference is particularly noticeable in what have come to...

She's a Reagan     The most popular names in America? A little research reveals a trend that will make Republicans proud.     Last year, according to the Social Security Administration, a whopping 24,262 girls were named Emily, while 30,122 boys were named Jacob. But the name "Reagan" is becoming increasingly popular, too — for baby girls.     The name of the 40th president of the United States has seen steady gains in the past decade. In 1993, for instance, Reagan ranked 998th, when only 202 baby girls were given the name. Last year, 1,603 American girls shared Reagan, making it the nation's 201st...

After having fun with Taughannock Falls in New York a couple of weeks ago, here's a similar (and actually more famous) waterfall. Shouldn't be too hard to figure this one out. There are much better pictures of this waterfall on the Web, but they were labeled and gave away the location.

September reports in the New York Post and the Toronto Star, quoting parents' Web site "reviews" of the Mattel $19.99 Nimbus 2000 plastic- replica broomstick from the latest Harry Potter movie, highlighted its battery-powered special effect: vibration. Wrote a Texas mother: "I was surprised at how long (my daughter and her friends) can just sit in her room and play with this magic broomstick." Another said her daughter fights her son for it but complains that "the batteries drain too fast." A New Jersey mother, sensing a problem, said her daughter could keep playing with it, "but with the batteries...