Free Republic

Today in Washington, First Lady Michelle Obama announced dictates of Obamacare and her Healthy Kids Initiative will require pork, bacon, ham and other non-kosher, non-halal foods be served the nations’ schools, including those operated by Jewish or Muslim organizations. “Everyone understands the benefits of chicken in a diet, but pork is often called “The Other White Meat” said the First Lady. “Lean pork is a great alternative to fatty beef” added Second Lady Jill Biden who joined Mrs. Obama for the announcement, held at the new Mother Seaton – Christ the Redeemer Birth Control Pill Distribution Center. The only hitch...

Since my New Year’s prediction that Obama would select Hillary Clinton for his running mate in 2012 (and Joe Biden would become Secretary of State), I’ve been swamped by requests for my GOP prediction. Here goes. You can forget the caucuses and early primaries. Mitt Romney will be the nominee. Republicans may be stupid but the GOP isn’t about to commit suicide. The other candidates are all weighed down by enough baggage to keep a 747 on the tarmac indefinitely. For his running mate, Romney will choose Marco Rubio, the junior senator from Florida. Why do I say this? First,...

The giant Black Tiger shrimp that Ron Pockrus caught off the Texas coast might be the biggest threat to the $700 million Gulf shrimp industry to come along in years, marine biologists said. Pockrus, the owner of a 13-vessel shrimp fleet operating out of Brownsville, caught the 12-inch, 13-ounce specimen last week. Pockrus said he’s been aware of the species for about three years but hadn’t seen one. Now, he has turned in two to marine and wildlife officials this season. “I have another boat coming in with one on it now,” Pockrus said. “That makes the third one we’ve...

When it comes to foreign affairs, Ron Paul is the most mocked of the GOP field. The argument could be made that Paul only wants to follow the Constitution. He does not believe we should fight a war unless it is declared a war by Congress. As a former military man, Paul says he wants a strong defense, but wants to bring troops back home from around the world. Paul's philosophy on foreign affairs continues to be his biggest stumbling block with older voters and his GOP rivals. An article earlier this year in USA Today stated that Paul has...

Ron Paul Runs Edgy New Ad in Iowa and New Hampshire By Chris Moody DES MOINES, IOWA-- Ron Paul's presidential campaign released a comparitvely edgy new ad Monday that will air on local and cable networks across Iowa and New Hampshire. The spot touts Paul's call to cut a trillion dollars from federal budget in his first year in office. Played over a rock track, a man's voice in the 30-second spot asks, "What's up with these sorry politicians? Lots of bark, but when it's showtime, whimpering like little Shih Tzu's. You want big cuts? Ron Paul's been screaming it...

WASHINGTON, - A Republican senator's report on the National Science Foundation criticizes the group for projects including a $500,000 study involving a shrimp on a treadmill. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., authored a report criticizing the foundation's spending on projects that also include $1.5 million to build a laundry-folding robot and a $300,000 study on whether Facebook's FarmVille game promotes personal relationships, ABC News reported Friday. "What it says to me is, they have too much money if they're going to spend money on things like that," Coburn said of the Arlington, Va., based foundation. "We have 12 different agencies doing...

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn Report Shows Taxpayer Money Spent on Robots That Fold Laundry, Shrimp on TreadmillsBy JONATHAN KARL and MATTHEW JAFFE May 26, 2011 You've probably heard of shrimp on the barbie, but what about shrimp on a treadmill? The National Science Foundation has, and it spent $500,000 of taxpayer money researching it. It's not entirely clear what this research hoped to establish. But it's one of a number of projects cited in a scathing new report from Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, exclusively obtained by ABC News. It's not just shrimp on a treadmill. The foundation...

....Part of Paul's fervent support in 2008 was grounded in college-aged voters, a constituency that also largely favored Barack Obama. In this campaign, the 75-year-old Paul said today, Mr. Obama won't be able to hang on to the youth vote. "I think that Obama will not be able to hang on to that enthusiasm of the young people because of what's happened in the last couple years," Paul said in Des Moines, Iowa, after his exploratory committee was announced. The financial crisis, the bloated deficit and the ongoing wars make the libertarian views Paul is known for -- such as...

Members of Congress requested almost 40,000 earmarks worth more than $100 billion directed to their home districts and states for the current fiscal year, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis to be released Tuesday. As Congress attempts to finalize appropriations legislation through next September, the new database shows that there remains a relentless bipartisan appetite for projects from coast to coast — whether it’s the $5 million Sen. Bill Nelson sought for an engineering project at the University of South Florida, the $1 million requested by Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) to develop soybeans resistant to a problematic pest, the $160,000 that...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A Sacramento restaurant agreed to stop serving live shrimp after an animal-rights group said the practice was cruel to the shellfish. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the restaurant, Nishiki Sushi, suggested squeezing lemon juice on the shrimps' exposed flesh so they would writhe as they were eaten. The dish is commonly referred to as "dancing shrimp" and is considered a delicacy in Japan. PETA contacted the restaurant after receiving dozens of complaints about the practice.

Killer shrimp are invading UK waters and raising concern among scientists. Killer shrimp may threaten the balance of life in fresh-water ecosystems.On Sept. 9, Britain's Environment Agency issued an alert that "killer shrimp" were spotted in a fresh-water reservoir in Cambridgeshire, England. Before you have a 28 Days Later moment, take a deep breath. These tiny crustaceans, the Dikerogammarus villosus shrimp, which can grow up to 3 centimeters (about 1 inch) in length, pose no direct danger to humans. But the killer shrimp is bigger than local species – and more aggressive. The "killer shrimp" eats other shrimp and small...

New York's water is delicious—and filled with tiny crustaceans called "copepods". (Making it possibly not kosher.) H&E stain the water and put it under a microscope and you'll find these little guys. Crunchy closeup after the jump.Delicious!(And completely harmless. Copepods are even known to eat mosquito larvae, so don't think of them as invisible shrimp that are caught in your teeth—think of them as invisible shrimp who make NYC tap water taste fantastic. Like fantastic, quenching shrimp juice.)[Reddit]  

<p>In the wake of Glenn Beck's hugely successful Restoring Honor rally held in Washington, D.C. this weekend, the Huffington Post has published an offer of $100,000 to anyone with evidence that would destroy Beck's reputation and take him off the political/cultural battlefield.</p>

Once again, the co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Joe Scarborough hinted that "certain networks," (ahem, MSNBC) hold quite the double standard between Democrats and Republicans. When the subject matter was President Obama's snub of an Iraq War question during his vacation at Martha's Vineyard – he remarked "We're buying shrimp, guys" – Scarborough pointed out that network coverage of Bush would have been far more negative.As NewsBusters reported last week, Scarborough also believes "certain networks" will "maul" Haley Barbour if he runs for President in 2012.

President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their two daughters Sasha and Malia traveled to Nancy's Restaurant on the waterfront of the Oak Bluffs section of Martha’s Vineyard Wednesday afternoon. Crowds gathered to watch as the president, wearing his White Sox baseball cap, noted the abundance of Red Sox caps. He and the First Lady shook hands and posed for pictures with folks in the crowd. The president ordered from the take-out window of the snack bar section of the eatery. "I love your watch," one woman told the First Lady, referencing a purple watch on her left wrist. "Oh,...

Shrimping Season in La. Reopens After SpillLa. shrimpers head back to work after Gulf spill but fear the public won't buy their catch By CAIN BURDEAU and MARY FOSTER Associated Press Writers GRAND ISLE, La. August 17, 2010 (AP) Fishermen who spent much of the summer mopping up oil from BP's disastrous spill got back to work as the fall shrimping season in Louisiana's coastal waters opened Monday amid anxiety over whether the catch will be tainted by crude and whether anyone will buy it even if it is clean. Scores of shrimpers headed out at first light, and early...

After 10 years of careful breeding and research, scientists have developed what could be the world’s most perfect prawn. CSIRO scientists and the prawn industry have bred an improved Black Tiger prawn which is producing record yields in aquaculture farms and winning awards. So good are these prawns that they have won five gold medals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the past two years, including ‘Champion of Show’, the highest award possible. The scientists from CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship have used DNA technology to ensure the breeding program captures the very best Black Tiger prawn stocks that nature...

Here is the reason fish/shrimp will be scarce. I witnessed it first hand. Read the link.

GRAND ISLE, La. -- The Coast Guard says it found a Florida-based shrimper working in an area closed because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, confiscated 19,000 pounds of white shrimp and dumped it all back in the water.

(Reuters) - The first heavy oil from a giant Gulf of Mexico spill sloshed ashore in fragile Louisiana marshlands on Wednesday and part of the mess entered a powerful current that could carry it to Florida and beyond. The developments underscored the gravity of the situation as British energy giant BP Plc raced to capture more crude gushing from a ruptured well a mile beneath the surface. The spill is threatening an ecological and economic disaster along the U.S. Gulf Coast and beyond. "The day that we have all been fearing is upon us today," Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said...