http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/rate/ en-us Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:31:16 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2095749/posts Moderator- Following is a suggestion to add a feature to this board. Feel free to move this as it is clearly not news. I post it here because I hope that it will generate the greatest amount of feedback. I have no programming experience whatsoever so I don't know if it is possible or if it were possible if it can be done cost effectively, but the suggestion would be to rate the stories posted on a scale from 1 to 10 and then show the top rated stories in a sidebar similar to the "Breaking News" sidebars on the... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2095749/posts#comment Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:31:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980230/posts The Bank of Canada has cut its key overnight rate by half a percentage point. The rate falls to 3.5 per cent from four per cent. The last announcement on the rate came on Jan. 22. The central bank cut the rate by a quarter-point, or 25 basis points, at that time. The bank feels domestic demand remains strong but there are risks to the economy, mainly from the slowdown in the United States, BNN's Michael Kane told Newsnet on Tuesday. In a news release, the bank noted that net exports fell in the fourth quarter, a development driven by... CTV.ca http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980230/posts#comment Tue, 4 Mar 2008 16:22:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1968629/posts To anyone who looks over their shoulder walking home late at night in a big city, the idea that America has won its war on violent crime might seem absurd. But the continuing drop in violent crime in big cities across the country makes it seem possible. The FBI recently reported that homicides fell by 6.5% in the country's biggest cities — those with populations of one million and up — through the first six months of 2007, and by about 1% across the U.S. Violent crime, overall, was off by about 2%. Even more astoundingly, New York City ended... Time http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1968629/posts#comment Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:08:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1958467/posts Daily Exercise Dramatically Lowers Men's Death Rates ScienceDaily (Jan. 23, 2008) — Increased exercise capacity reduces the risk of death in African-American and Caucasian men, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The government-supported Veterans Affairs study included 15,660 participants and is the largest known to assess the link between fitness and mortality. "It is important to emphasize that it takes relatively moderate levels of physical activity -- like brisk walking -- to attain the associated health benefits. Certainly, one does not need to be a marathon runner. This is the message that we need to convey... Science Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1958467/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:29:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1957553/posts WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Acting forcefully against economic risk and financial market meltdown, the Federal Reserve cut its overnight lending rate by 75 basis points to 3.50%, the Fed announced Tuesday. It was the first time the Fed had cut interest rates between meetings since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. "The committee took this action in view of a weakening economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth," the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement. Downside risks to growth remain. The committee met on Monday evening. Market Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1957553/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:31:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1945883/posts NEW YORK - Chicago and New York are about to close out 2007 with the lowest number of homicides in more than 40 years, while cities such as Baltimore, Atlanta and Miami have seen killings go up because of what police say is a surge in guns and gang violence. Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1945883/posts#comment Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:39:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940275/posts The unemployment rate in Cedar county declined by .1% in October, falling from 3.3% to 3.2%. The Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) office said the number of residents without jobs fell from 360 to 350, while the size of the labor force grew from 10,890 to 10,960, an increase of 70. The highest unemployment rate for the county this year was in January and February, at 3.9%, while the low was reached in May, when it fell to just 2.7%. The Iowa unemployment rate held steady in October at 3.9%, unchanged from the previous month. One year ago it was 3.5%.... The Tipton Conservative http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940275/posts#comment Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:19:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939462/posts The title is an obvious and intentional exaggeration used by Ken Fisher in his book titled Three Questions That Count. Rather than try to summarize and comment on his excellent book I choose to examine those parts that have a public policy connotation. The first of these is the so called “savings rate.” The author points out this is a residual calculation not an actual measure of savings. What the government does take personal income and subtract from it personal consumption. Personal income is after tax income. Again, no one actually measures savings. There are problems with doing this and... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939462/posts#comment Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:58:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936821/posts Britain's highest birth rates among migrants By Ben Leapman, Home Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 1:11am GMT 09/12/2007 A baby boom among immigrant families is driving the population to a record high, government figures will show this week. The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, will reveal that Britain's highest birth rates are in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, both predominantly Muslim. The birth rate among women born in Pakistan but living in the UK is three times higher than that among British-born women, the figures will show. Separate figures due this month will reveal whether Mohammed has overtaken Jack... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936821/posts#comment Sun, 9 Dec 2007 03:44:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936806/posts Komal Sri-Kumar, chief global strategist at the TCW Group, a Los Angeles fund management firm, expects a quarter-point cut when Fed policy makers meet Tuesday. That would be best for the economy and stock prices, he says...“If there is no change, then the stock market tumbles,” he said. A half-point cut may prompt a relief rally in stocks, he said, although it may also ensure that “the dollar will take one more tumble.” That could force the Fed to start raising rates later to defend the long-enfeebled currency...“The Fed will have to walk a narrow walk and cut rates by... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936806/posts#comment Sun, 9 Dec 2007 02:56:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933216/posts Estimate of AIDS cases in U.S. rises New test places the rate of infection 50 percent higher The Washington Post Estimate of AIDS Cases In U.S. Rises By David Brown updated 4:00 a.m. ET, Sat., Dec. 1, 2007 New government estimates of the number of Americans who become infected with the AIDS virus each year are 50 percent higher than previous calculations suggested, sources said yesterday. For more than a decade, epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have pegged the number of new HIV infections each year at 40,000. They now believe it is between 55,000 and... Washington Post.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933216/posts#comment Sat, 1 Dec 2007 15:23:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1905013/posts The number of people migrating to the UK each year will be 45,000 more than previously predicted, according to official estimates. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had estimated the net increase in population due to migration would be 145,000 a year. But it has revised that upwards by about a third to 190,000 migrants annually over the next 20 years. The ONS also predicts life expectancy will rise further than anticipated. Sir Andrew Green, chair of Migrationwatch UK, said: "The result is that 86% of our population increase will now be due to immigration, which will add 7.2 million... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1905013/posts#comment Mon, 1 Oct 2007 19:08:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1903997/posts THE great myth about divorce is that marital breakup is an increasing threat to American families, with each generation finding their marriages less stable than those of their parents. ...The story of ever-increasing divorce is a powerful narrative. It is also wrong. In fact, the divorce rate has been falling continuously over the past quarter-century, and is now at its lowest level since 1970. While marriage rates are also declining, those marriages that do occur are increasingly more stable. For instance, marriages that began in the 1990s were more likely to celebrate a 10th anniversary than those that started in... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1903997/posts#comment Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:43:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1898296/posts Economy: What the Fed does Tuesday will set the tone not just for the rest of the year, but for the rest of the decade. With so much at stake, the central bank has to get it right. That means a bigger rate cut than expected. In this case, the right thing would be to drop the fed funds rate at least a half-point to 4.75%. This would help keep the credit crunch from morphing into an ugly recession — something the Fed can avoid if it acts quickly and boldly to re-liquefy the economy. A little over two weeks... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1898296/posts#comment Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:40:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1897155/posts IF FAITH IS A STAUNCH BELIEF THAT requires neither proof nor evidence, then the stock market has it in spades. All of that faith lately is placed in the government's monetary policy. Come Tuesday, investors believe, quite fervently, that the Federal Reserve not only will cut interest rates, but will lower borrowing costs enough to breathe new life into the ailing U.S. economy. So resolute is that trust that it remains unshaken in the face of yet more worrying signs. U.S. industrial production ticked up just 0.2% in August...,market continues to slip. But economic weakness can only appeal to the... Barron's http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1897155/posts#comment Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:59:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1892343/posts Zimbabwe abandons fixed official exchange rate By Byron Dziva In Harare Last Updated: 1:52am BST 07/09/2007 Zimbabwe injected a partial element of reality into its chaotic economy yesterday, abandoning its fixed official exchange rate of 250 Zimbabwean dollars to the US currency. It fixed the new rate at Z$30,000 to the US dollar, an official devaluation of more than 99 per cent, but still well above its true value — on the black market US$1 fetches around Z$260,000. The official rate is used for government transactions, but is also a hugely lucrative opportunity for senior officials in Robert Mugabe's regime,... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1892343/posts#comment Fri, 7 Sep 2007 02:23:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1886791/posts (IsraelNN.com) Hamas's leadership abroad has instructed the terror group's Gaza activists to carry out suicide attacks against Israel, the Deputy Chief of SHABAK (the General Security Service) told the government Sunday. The deputy, identified only as by the initial Y., told ministers that since the Disengagement, 40 tons of explosives had been transferred into Gaza. Lately, 150 RPG rockets were smuggled in from Egypt. He also noted that there has been a rise in terror incidents lately: Last week there were 56 incidents of shooting and rocket fire, but the week before that only had 43 such events. Arutz 7 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1886791/posts#comment Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:39:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1885666/posts Zimbabwe inflation rate hits 7,600 pc By Sebastien Berger, Southern Africa Correspondent Last Updated: 1:04am BST 23/08/2007 Zimbabwe issued its first official inflation statistics for three months yesterday, revealing a new record high and confirming the ineffectiveness of Robert Mugabe's price control campaign. Figures from Zimbabwe's Central Statistical Office showed inflation reached 7,634.8 per cent in July, the highest in the world. It was 7,251.1 per cent in June and 4,530 per cent in May, it added. The precision of the inflation numbers is remarkable given the chaos of the Zimbabwean economy and some analysts believe the real figure is... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1885666/posts#comment Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:29:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1773966/posts “Within recent years the dollar’s prestige has dipped below its exchange rate”, affirm sociologists from the Public Opinion Fund. 1500 people living in 100 settlements of 44 regions of the country participated in the poll; the survey showed that the native ruble is 12.5 times more preferable than the American currency. As long ago as 2002 every third respondent believed in the strong position the greenback occupied, but the number of dollar-worshippers reduced 7 times by December 2006. The ruble, at the same time, took the opposite path and doubled its admirers’ number: from 37 to 63%. This tendency is... Russia-InfoCenter http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1773966/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:07:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761548/posts NEW ORLEANS (AP) — About the best that could be said of New Orleans' murder rate in 2006 is that it has held relatively steady over the past six months. The worst is that, if it continues steady for six months more, the city would have a 12-month murder rate about eight to 12 times the national average for cities its size, rather than this year's multiple of seven to 10. Three New Year's Eve killings brought the city's murder total to 161 for 2006. Depending on which population estimate is used, that works out to a rate of 60... nola.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761548/posts#comment Wed, 3 Jan 2007 02:15:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1726732/posts One essential component of evolution is an extremely long timescale for earth history. Multibillions of years likewise are required by the big bang theory. However, this assumption of unlimited time is strongly challenged by recent creation research. From 1997 to 2005 a team of creation scientists explored the centerpiece of geologic time—radioisotope dating. This technique, developed over the last century, is used to date thousands of rocks, fossils and artifacts. The creation research project was given the acronym RATE, which stands for Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth. Rock and mineral samples were collected from around the world and... Answers in Genesis http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1726732/posts#comment Fri, 27 Oct 2006 03:46:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1725997/posts WASHINGTON — Sales of existing homes fell for a sixth straight month in September and the median sales price dropped on an annual basis by the largest amount on record, further documenting a lukewarm housing market. The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of previously owned homes fell by 1.9 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted sales pace of 6.18 million units, the slowest sales rate since January 2004. The median price of a single-family home fell to $219,800 last month, a drop of 2.5 percent from the price in September 2005. That was the biggest year-over-year price... The Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1725997/posts#comment Thu, 26 Oct 2006 02:14:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678060/posts Britons go bust at rate of one per minute By Edmund Conway, Economics Editor (Filed: 05/08/2006) One person is falling victim to insolvency every minute of the working day and home repossession applications show the biggest rise since the early 1990s housing crash. Many are finding it impossible to pay record gas and electricity bills The Government figures issued yesterday, 24 hours after the Bank of England raised interest rates for the first time in two years, show that more and more families are being caught up in the ballooning debt crisis. Experts said that many families were finding it... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678060/posts#comment Sat, 5 Aug 2006 01:01:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670264/posts LANSING, Mich. - Michigan's unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.3 percent in June, state officials said Wednesday. That's up from the 6.0 percent seasonally adjusted rate in May. Michigan's unemployment rate remains above the national average, which was 4.6 percent in June. The change in the state's jobless rate was "relatively minor," according to Rick Waclawek, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Growth's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. The size of the state's labor force increased by 23,000 in June. About 10,000 more people were counted as employed and 13,000 more were counted as unemployed... The State http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670264/posts#comment Sat, 22 Jul 2006 02:51:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1657281/posts As the US Federal Reserve prepares for its latest decision on interest rates, most analysts predict it will announce a further rise on Thursday. With its rate-setting Open Market Committee sitting down for two days of talks, the Fed is expected to increase rates by another 0.25% to 5.25%. This would be the 17th rise in a row, putting rates at a new five-year high. Commentators point to the fact that Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has already warned that inflation is a concern. He said at the start of this month that recent increases in inflation - triggered by rising... BBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1657281/posts#comment Wed, 28 Jun 2006 20:10:20 GMT