Free Republic

Spot gold ran to a record high above $1,090 per ounce on Wednesday, latching on to a weaker dollar with continued support from the IMF's sale of gold to India's central bank. The dollar index declined 0.34 percent as investors awaited a Fed statement later on Wednesday. Spot gold hit a record high of $1,092.60 an ounce and was bid at $1,091.05 an ounce at 0915 GMT, compared with $1,084.50 late in New York on Tuesday. U.S. COMEX gold futures also hit an historic $1,093.70 in electronic trade, and were later up $7.40 at $1,092.40. Buying on the back of...

Many gold companies use this ending line in their advertisements: "Gold has Never been worth Zero." Is that really the best ending sales pitch they could come up with? .

Bizarre Logic for High House Prices in China Critics say claim that mothers-in-law are responsible masks political reality By Luo Xi & Jin Xi Epoch Times Staff Sep 14, 2009 One of the cartoons circulating online making light of Gu Yunchang's remarks. The man says "Mother-in-law, this clothing is most suitable for you to wear!" The writing on the clothing says "Rising houseprice scapegoat." (NTDTV) Chinese officials have been putting forward bizarre explanations for China’s rising real estate prices recently, with Secretary-General of the China Academy of Real Estate, Gu Yunchang, blaming the ever rising housing prices on mothers-in-law. Gu...

Rep. Tom Price, the Georgia Republican who heads the House GOP Study Committee, came to President Obama's speech Wednesday night itching to make a point. Price, who also happens to be an orthopedic surgeon, has often heard the president accuse Republicans of criticizing Democratic health care proposals while having no plans of their own. He expected Obama to do the same Wednesday night. "We knew the president would at some point say something like, 'and the other side has no ideas,' " Price says. So Price and his Republican colleagues brought with them copies of the more than 30 health...

The president spent this past weekly address "debunking the myths and distortions" of health care reform. In fact, his address wasn't very different than his op ed yesterday. He "debunked" the idea that illegals will be covered, abortions would be paid for and "death panels". Every time the president does this I think of what Kirsten Powers said about all of this "if you have to convince Americans that your health care plan won't kill grand ma, then your plan is in trouble". That

Big companies warn of a shortage and ask the U.S. to ease import quotas. Domestic sugar producers say there's plenty available and that raising quotas could drive them out of business. The price of sugar on world markets has soared this year, prompting a coalition of the nation's largest food manufacturers to warn of a pending shortage and to ask the Agriculture Department to ease quotas on imports. But although prices have risen domestically and abroad, analysts say fears of empty supermarket shelves are overblown and that the gloomy outlook of big food companies is really part of a larger...

Biofuels are a controversial topic. Some support switching to using natural gas (primarily methane), a substance that is in great abundance in America. Others, particularly corn farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggest switching to an ethanol-based economy. Still others advocate using sugar cane in more limited ethanol or biodiesel deployments. All of these approaches, though, share fundamental inefficiencies -- they require a car engine redesign to full take advantage of them. Modern dual mode vehicles can lose 15 percent or more efficiency. Houston, Texas-based Terrabon believes they have the answer. They have refined and improved on a Texas...

. Legendary oil man T. Boone Pickens says that if the U.S. doesn’t take major steps to curb its reliance on foreign oil, the consequences will be drastic. “Let’s say in 10 years, you do nothing,” Pickens tells Fortune. “You will be importing 75 percent of your oil (up from 68 percent now), and you’ll be paying $300 a barrel.” .

Putting a price tag on health reform spreads unease11. June 2009 22:09 Taxes, fees for business and spending cuts could help lawmakers pay the $1-trillion-plus cost of health reform, but those possibilities have spurred a behind-the-scenes lobbying fight on Capitol Hill, and caused a fair share of anxiety among many interest groups, the Los Angeles Times reports. For instance, Anchor Brewing Co., a San Francisco beer-maker, chocolate milk sellers and labor unions have all attacked lawmakers over new tax proposals for liquor, soft drinks and employer-sponsored benefits that would affect their industries. When Obama suggested raising money by cutting billions...

Watch this video from Chairman Tom Price as he receives the 1,000+ page stimulus bill at 11pm on February 13, 2009. He points out the length of the bill, handwritten notes slipped in at the last minute, etc. Incredible.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A68eWFAbClA

Republican members of the House and Senate yesterday held a rare joint press conference to make a statement of solidarity and to give an update on the state of the “stimulus” spending bill that is being rushed through the Senate as if on roller skates. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) co-hosted the presser with Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee. DeMint reamed the Obama administration and Democrat leadership for the hasty process and the bill’s content. “Americans are outraged that the Democrat majority has used our economic troubles in this country as an excuse to pass...

Gold is shifting from West to East – along with the balance of power By Dominic Frisby Jan 21, 2009 What's going on with gold? Twice a day – at 10:30AM and 3PM - the price of gold is set on the London market by the five members of the London Gold Pool (HSBC, SocGen, Deutsche Bank, Scotia-Mocata and Barclays). This is known as the London fix and it's used as the benchmark to price gold, gold products and derivatives in markets around the world. I've been looking at some charts and an astonishing pattern has become apparent. It's a...

Before the trading day began Tuesday, spot prices for gold were trending sharply higher. By 10AM gold prices has reached $855 an ounce, up $25 dollars in two hours. Wall Street has already factored in the potential damage an Obama Presidency would have on the stock market. Wall Steet is always prepared for the movements in the price of stocks, bonds and commodities. Traders did not take into consideration how the Average Joe across the globe would respond to plans for a whole new bundle of worthless paperhanging of the US Dollar. Gold prices had been forecast to drop down...

CARACAS: President Hugo Chávez, buffeted by falling oil prices that threaten to damage his efforts to establish a Socialist-inspired state, is quietly courting Western oil companies once again. Until recently, Chávez had pushed foreign oil companies here into a corner by nationalizing their oil fields, raiding their offices with tax authorities and imposing a series of royalties increases. But faced with the plunge in prices and a decline in domestic production, senior officials here have begun soliciting bids from some of the largest Western oil companies in recent weeks - including Chevron, Royal Dutch/Shell and Total of France - promising...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slid 12 percent on Wednesday, the largest percentage drop in seven years, after a U.S. government report showed crude inventories rose much more than expected in the world's top energy consumer. Crude oil stocks swelled by 6.7 million barrels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said, more than seven times the 900,000-barrel increase analysts had expected. Gasoline and distillate stocks also rose as refinery utilization climbed and demand remained sluggish. U.S. crude for February delivery settled at $42.63 a barrel, down $5.95 or 12.25 percent, the biggest single-day loss, percentage-wise, since prices plunged 15.25 percent...

The cheapest way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is probably to put a price on them. One way to do that is a direct tax (see "Q&A"). Another is a cap-and-trade system, where the government sets an overall cap on emissions, but indi­vidual businesses trade emission allowances. But surprisingly, a carbon penalty may do little to increase reliance on renewable energy or reduce petroleum consumption. Putting a price on carbon would certainly reduce the use of conventional coal-fired power plants. Coal emits more carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels, and its price would more than double. But natural gas would...

One of the most unbelievable things ever happened on the set of the yesterday's "Price is Right" -- some dude nailed the price of his showcase to the exact dollar -- and host Drew Carey couldn't have looked more bored. No one has pulled off an exact bid in more than 30 years -- plus, the dude had already won $500 in cash for nailing the exact price of a cooker earlier in the show -- but after the showcase stunner, Drew was more fired up to talk about spaying and neutering pets. A TMZ spy who happened to be...

3 Indicted In Alleged Coverup of D.C. Killing By Paul Duggan and Keith L. Alexander Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, November 21, 2008; B01 Three men at the center of an enduring murder mystery in an elegant Dupont Circle townhouse have been indicted on obstruction of justice charges as police continue to investigate the slaying of Robert Wone, a rising star in Washington's legal community who was fatally stabbed two years ago while staying overnight at the home. One of the men, Dylan M. Ward, 38, was arrested in Florida three weeks ago after authorities filed an affidavit in court...

Just saw my mid Ohio local gas station advertising reg gas at $2.69 a gal!.. How's it going for you?

Crude oil prices fall to half of record Published: Oct. 15, 2008 at 6:18 PM NEW YORK, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices fell to a penny more than half July's record price, retracting 50 percent on the New York Mercantile Exchange in just over three months. Crude oil fell $5.11 Wednesday to $73.64 per barrel, a 6 percent drop on the day, as unsettled economies continued to support investors' fears of falling demand. "The honeymoon relief package reaction now appears to be giving way to uncertainty over its impact on global demand," Mark Pervan, a senior commodity strategist...

Answering our accusers in the Savior’s way. We have gathered together as one, we have taken upon us the name of Jesus Christ, and we are Christians. One of the questions we would ask: why then, if we have that love of the Savior, would someone want to be an antagonist or to attack us? Recently a group of bright, faithful young Latter-day Saints wrote down some of the most pressing questions on their minds. One sister asked, “Why doesn’t the Church defend itself more actively when accusations are made against it?” To her inquiry I would say that one...

Oil prices hit 13-month low Worries about declining demand send crude prices plummeting more than $6 a barrel. By Kenneth Musante, CNNMoney.com staff writer Last Updated: October 10, 2008: 9:37 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil prices plunged to a 13-month low Friday as investors worried that the weakening global economy was driving down demand for fuel worldwide. U.S. crude for November delivery sank $6.96 to $79.63 a barrel in electronic trading, its lowest level since crude traded in the high $70 range in September of last year. Investors remain concerned that a crumbling economy was causing businesses and...

Crude Oil down to $84.66 @ 7:10 PM EDT. Gas at $3.19 here. That's a dime less in 2 days.

The price of Crude Oil was $99.57 as of 11:15AM EDT today! And on a Sunday, no less. :oD

Expect gasoline prices to rise overnight as much as a dollar and-a-half a gallon. That's the warning from several business sources including one major Baton Rouge multi-station operation. However, a spokesman for Triple A Louisiana discounted the report. "We still have at least a 20 day supply, said spokesman Don Redman. "We certainly wish we had a healthier supply than that but we are certainly asking the service station industry to refrain from any panic pricing," Redman said. The approach of Hurricane Ike to the Houston area has produced a panic gasoline markets. The fears are driven by the fact...

OPEC crude oil price plunges five-month low Vienna, Sep 3 : The price for crude oil produced by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has plunged to its lowest level since early April, according to OPEC data released Wednesday. One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC-produced crude stood at $103.40 Tuesday, $6.62 less than $110.02 on the previous day. Markets were affected by the fact that Hurricane Gustav had mostly spared oil facilities, as well as by the stronger US dollar against the euro, Vienna-based energy analysts JBC said. The last time OPEC crude cost less was on April 9,...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil prices tumbled a 3-month low near $115 a barrel Friday as the dollar rallied strongly against slumping foreign currencies and concerns about a Turkish supply disruption were eased. Light, sweet crude for September delivery settled down $4.82 to $115.20 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was the lowest close since May 1, when oil finished at $112.52. Crude reversed course after settling higher Thursday, as the dollar hit a 5-month high against the euro. The 15-nation euro bought $1.5017, down 2% from Thursday's levels. The British pound fell 1.4% to a 17-month low of...

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/

Okay Freepers, I promised "a beatstreet report" from the Hill and here it is. First Brazo Zulu to all the House GOP Lawmakers who did not simply rail on a dark House Floor, but invited the American Public in to take a seat in the empty Democrat Chairs as each Congressional Member raised their voice in demanding that Democrat Leaders grant a simple up or down vote on drilling for oil. Passionate Speeches by several Congressmenmbers were meet with standing O's from visitors and several visitors shared their personal stories on how high gas prices are effecting their lifestyles. Several...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil dropped $2 to a fresh seven-week low on Friday, extending a decline that has knocked more than $23 off crude in two weeks as high fuel prices continue to batter demand. U.S. crude fell $2.23 to settle at $123.26 after falling to $122.50 earlier, the lowest since June 5. Brent crude lost $2.01 to trade at $124.43 a barrel. Fuel consumption in the United States and other industrialized nations has begun to slide, dragging oil down from record peaks over $147 a barrel on July 11. Additional pressure came as the U.S. dollar extended gains...

"Can you believe these gas prices?"

The failure to produce additional oil and drill in offshore and onshore areas known to have oil has caused a terrific run-up in the price of oil. The question is this: how has the near tripling of oil prices dealt tragedy in the lives of people. How many Americans have died so that caribou can live? How many from other countries have been sacrificed on the altar of environmental love for any species except the human species? Food prices have soared -- hunger, malnutrition, birth defects and deficiencies are the results of malnutrition. Death is the result of starvation. Fuel...

Our Representatives in Congress have many fine solutions. But Dems are blocking votes on every bill the GOP proposes!You never know what you might learn watching C-Span that you're never going to learn if you watch the liberal news media. For instance, have any readers seen reporting that describes the steps Republicans have proposed to deal with high energy prices? Probably not. So, when I saw Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK)give a speech Tuesday evening on the House Floor describing GOP plans to address the issue, I decided I'd better pass it along as I doubt too many people would have...

The price of crude oil has jumped as high as $135 lately, up from $87 in early February. The news encouraged some Wall Street analysts to suggest oil might approach $200 before long. In fact, that's quite impossible: The world economy can't handle current energy prices, much less a big increase. Which in turn means that oil prices will fall. Market analysts often claim oil prices are almost entirely determined by supply. Demand is said to be insensitive ("inelastic") to price. The standard example is that many Americans have to drive to work and most gas-guzzling SUVs will still be...

World food supply must rise 50%, Ban Ki Moon tells Rome summit Richard Owen in Rome A United Nations summit on resolving the world's food crisis opened this morning with a call from Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, for world farm production to rise by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet growing demand. He called on leaders to lower export restrictions and import tariffs on food with immediate effect to avoid further hunger and malnutrition, which have caused riots in several Third World countries. The three day summit, organised by the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization, follows...

LOS ANGELES - Want a skybox perch to see John McCain speak at the Republican National Convention, passes to hot GOP parties that week, pampering from the concierge and private wheels to tool around town? Want a chance to mingle with celebrities like Warren Beatty and Al Franken at the Democratic National Convention, and maybe even get face time with Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton? It's yours, for a price. Committees raising money for California delegations to the national conventions are asking wealthy donors to make six-figure donations in exchange for VIP-level treatment and seats to witness history. The...

Santa Monica, CA - U.S. gasoline prices rose more than 33 cents a gallon to $3.937 in the last month despite driving cutbacks that have steadily reduced demand, said Consumer Watchdog. Oil prices sagged today along with U.S. economic indicators; yet even if they continue to fall, motorists are unlikely to see much relief at the pump -- or at the grocery story, with diesel breaking the $5.00 mark. "Producers who have been making their record profits from drilling and selling oil are now trying to do the same on the refining end by keeping fuel supplies short in the...

Could American Oil Companies lower the price of Oil, even if they wanted? The last figures I saw showed that American oil companies controlled 25% of the world market and 40% of the US Market. Let's say that under Congressional pressure all of America's oil companies got together and said they were going to sell their oil at $50 per barrel. What would happen? My thought is that the rest of the world would immediately buy up all their output to resell at the world price and then nothing else would change. Anyone have any other scenarios?

People in the US are reportedly changing their holiday plans - after petrol reached the "ridiculous" price of up to 50p a litre. US motorists will get little sympathy from their British counterparts where petrol is well over £1 a litre and diesel around £1.20.

Food price rise affects restaurant menus By Ian Johnston Last Updated: 3:36am BST 13/04/2008 Restaurants have slapped a surcharge on the cost of steaks and dropped popular dishes from their menus as they pass on soaring food costs to their customers. Owners say the rising prices of staples such as rice, beef and chicken are forcing them to cut the size of portions, use more vegetables and re-write recipes to drop expensive ingredients. Fish not fowl: Le Raj restaurant owner Enam Ali has introduced pangush fish as a cheaper alternative to chicken A fillet steak surcharge of several pounds has...

I was just reading an article that referenced "sin taxes" cigarettes being one...Well, Many years ago, I used to smoke..and the last time I bought a pack of cigarettes, they cost $1.50 a pack. I was wondering if anyone knew offhand, what they are currently going for?

Soaring price of food 'leads to riots' By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent Last Updated: 2:45am BST 07/04/2008 Rising food prices threaten economic stability and could trigger riots, Gordon Brown has been warned. The World Bank said this week that the price of staple foods has risen by 80 per cent in the past three years. For consumers in wealthy nations such as Britain soaring prices are squeezing household finances and keeping inflation up. But for developing nations they can lead to malnutrition and social disruption. Food prices are being driven up by shortages of supply - often caused by bad...

Grain prices soar globally Rice shortages are appearing across Asia. In Egypt, the Army is now baking bread to curb food riots. By Daniel Ten Kate | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor from the March 27, 2008 edition Bangkok, Thailand - - Rice farmers here are staying awake in shifts at night to guard their fields from thieves. In Peru, shortages of wheat flour are prompting the military to make bread with potato flour, a native crop. In Egypt, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso food riots have broken out in the past week. Around the world, governments and aid groups...

Fuel Prices Siphoning Money From U.S. Economy Cheney Visit to Saudi Arabia May Include Plea on Oil Output By Steven Mufson Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, March 11, 2008; 9:49 AM Crude oil prices continued a record-breaking climb today that pushed it past $109 a barrel, while the price of regular unleaded gasoline at the pump came within half a cent of its all-time high. A White House announcement that Vice President Cheney would probably ask Saudi Arabia to boost oil output during a trip to the Middle East next week did nothing to blunt a run-up in prices that...

Crude oil prices were higher again Monday, hitting a new record at $108.17 per barrel before falling back a bit but remaining above $107 per barrel at the close of floor trade in New York. April contracts for West Texas Intermediate crude were at $107.85 per barrel at the close on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a gain of $2.70 on the session and slight decline from its peak earlier, while Brent crude added $1.79 to $104.17 per barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London. Investors put their money into oil as a hedge against declines in the...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. average retail gasoline prices have reached a new high of almost $3.20 per gallon and will likely jump another 20 to 30 cents in the next month, worsening the pain of consumers struggling to make ends meet in an economic downturn. Gasoline prices are rising sharply as refiners, who have kept prices down in order to compete for sales, become more willing to pass on their higher costs of crude oil, according to an industry analyst on Sunday. The national average for self-serve regular unleaded gas was nearly $3.20 a gallon on March 7, up...

Republicans (In alphabetical order): Democrats (In alphabetical order):

Mike Boyce to run for Congress Published: 12/14/2007 The Associated Press ATLANTA - Retired Marine Corps Col. Mike Boyce, back from a 10-month stint as an infrastructure contractor in Iraq, is seeking to challenge Rep. Tom Price for his 6th District seat. The 58-year-old Republican said he is running because of the need to enforce laws on illegal immigration and his concerns about the economy, Georgia's water woes and the war on terrorism. Boyce, who lives in Marietta, said his maternal grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and Portugal. "They came here for the same reason that a lot...

This is for sure a vanity, so if you don't like it please move on. I want to sell a shotgun I've had for a few years but have no idea how much to sell it for. It's a Remington 870 Express Magnum 12 gauge pump. I bought it new in 1999. It's only been fired once and been stored in a case since then so it's in great shape. I don't remember exactly how much I paid for it. But I do want to sell it. I know that there are far more knowledgeable freepers than I...so how much...

Lion sculpture gets record price The Guennol Lioness was discovered at a site near Baghdad A tiny limestone figure of a lion from ancient Mesopotamia has sold at auction for $57m (£28m), almost double the previous record price for a sculpture. The 8.3cm (3.25in) tall Guennol Lioness is thought to have been carved 5,000 years ago in what is now Iraq and Iran. The lion, whose new owner has not been identified, had been on loan to the Brooklyn Museum of Art for 59 years. The previous record for a sculpture was set last month when Pablo Picasso's Tete de...