Free Republic

After running the numbers on a set of four equations representing human society, a team of NASA-funded mathematicians has come to the grim conclusion that the utter collapse of human civilization will be “difficult to avoid.” The exact scenario may vary, but in the coming decades humanity is essentially doomed to some variant of “Elites” consuming too much, “resulting in a famine among Commoners that eventually causes the collapse of society.” That is, unless civilization is ready for one of two “major policy changes”: inequality must be “greatly reduced” or population growth must be “strictly controlled.” The apocalyptic pronouncements, set...

A video has resurfaced that is related to the Steubenville rape case, which has caught the attention of certain hacktivist groups. Operation Roll Red Roll continues to play out on social media as links to information involving an alleged rape case in Steubenville have been posted on localleaks.blogs.ru/. The video was posted on YouTube of a male juvenile reportedly on the night of the alleged incident. The video is posted on, http://youtu.be/A0drRrNWpNE. The video was first posted today under the user name Mark Bacchus. #Knightsec, who claims to have hacked rollredroll.com, posted the link to the information on his twitter...

VICTORVILLE (CBSLA.com) — Students at a high school in Victorville said violent fights have been breaking out between African-Americans and Latinos for the past two days. Rafael Muñoz said a group of people started the fights at Silverado High on Wednesday, which have poured out into the streets. “One person started fighting, then the other would jump in. And continuously jump in and (it) ended up to be mob fighting. (I) got pepper sprayed by the security,” he said. Cellphone video caught one brawl, which spilled into 14-year-old Jeremy Buenrostro’s lawn. “They busted my lip. Well, they broke my tooth....

Killings are double the figure for Memorial Day 2011 A man was shot dead near a raucous outdoor holiday party in the South Shore neighborhood late Monday night, bringing the number of homicides to 10 during a warm and violent Memorial Day weekend. More than 40 shootings were reported during the four-day weekend. The city has had more homicides and shootings so far in 2012 than during the same time last year, according to unofficial briefing summaries prepared by the Chicago Police Department. A department spokesman would not confirm the tally, saying several incidents were still under investigation and could...

A Brockton man brutally beaten over a parking space recalled the harrowing attack yesterday from his Hub hospital bed, telling the Herald he’s lucky to be alive and the argument wasn’t worth it. Sosa said he and his wife were out at a friend’s house Saturday night, and a neighbor was waiting for him when they got home. Sosa, 40, said his car was parked in its designated spot — and the neighbor was fuming because it was blocking his space.Sosa said the neighbor wasn’t supposed to park there. The pair exchanged words, Sosa said, and the other man threatened...

Police say Markishia and Tina Ducket, a mother-daughter tandem, attacked passengers on a TriMet bus. They say the attack happened at southeast 122nd and Division this afternoon. The pair is being accused of lashing out at the bus driver after being caught trying to use invalid transfers. Witnesses say a man riding the bus asked the women to leave and the mother punched him in the face. Shortly after, a woman with a baby also asked them to get off the bus and Tina punched her in the face. Both the mother and the daughter now face a number of...

Two women will be arraigned Friday on charges stemming from the beating of a teenage girl on a MAX train. YouTube video from the Dec. 26 attack surfaced this week, sparking outrage in the Portland area. It showed a 14-year-old girl being attacked by three other passengers on a MAX Green Line train in southeast Portland. The cell phone video also showed others who appeared to be celebrating the attack. It didn't appear that any MAX passengers tried to intervene or stop the attack. On Thursday, police arrested 38-year-old Selena Harris, her 18-year-old daughter Rakeshia Burns, and Burns' 16- and...

ROME — With political turmoil still plaguing Greece and descending upon the much larger economy of Italy, the fate of the euro and market stability worldwide hinged Tuesday on whether two of Europe’s most tangled and unresponsive political cultures could deal with their tightening fiscal gridlock. The prospect of a new transitional, technocratic government in Greece, and signs that Silvio Berlusconi’s resilient hold on power in Italy was weakening in advance of a crucial parliamentary vote on Tuesday, did little to reassure investors that either country was prepared to grapple with the deep structural changes that investors are demanding to...

Delaware will be the eighth state to allow civil unions or comprehensive domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. The state House of Representatives voted 26 to 15 Thursday night in favor of the measure. Governor Jack Markell, who has been a gay rights advocate throughout his public service career, has said he will sign the civil union bill, which gives gay couples the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples. The Senate passed the bill last week. "We are tremendously proud that the Delaware House has passed civil union legislation," said Equality Delaware President Lisa Goodman. "The fact that...

Guests lounge around the pool at Pearl's Rainbow, soaking up the sunshine and tropical vibes typical of a Southernmost guesthouse. Not a man is in sight -- and that's the way these vacationers like it. But over this Thanksgiving weekend, Key West's only lesbian-exclusive resort is going "all welcome." The decision was made public about the same time Pearl's Rainbow was honored in October by Curve, the best-selling lesbian magazine, as the guesthouse that had the greatest impact on lesbian culture over the past 20 years.

Next year’s Academy Awards program ought to have a new category: Best Portrayal of a Sperm Donor. At least, that’s the role that’s being cast with increasing — and alarming — frequency. First came the cinematic summer hit "The Kids Are All Right," the story of a lesbian couple that each have given birth to a child using sperm from the same donor. Reaching their teen years, the children want to meet their biological father (whom the moms only call “sperm donor”). The kids track him down and some predictable family drama ensues, including a romantic tryst between donor-dad and...

CORPUS CHRISTI — Jail officials have discovered a woman sentenced to 30 years in prison for nearly starving her 3-year-old son to death is pregnant, her attorney confirmed Monday. Villarreal, 29, was sentenced to 30 years in prison last week. Alma Villarreal, 29, is appealing the sentence handed down Friday by a Nueces County jury. Her attorney Hector Rene Gonzalez said the pregnancy won’t have an affect on the appeal process. “This is not unheard of for an inmate to give birth while incarcerated,” he said. Gonzalez said he does not know how far along the pregnancy is and was...

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (CBS) ― Click to enlarge1 of 1 Several mothers got into a verbal confrontation during a kindergarten graduation ceremony at Puesta Del Sol Elementary School. Joyful graduation ceremonies are being held across Southern California, but one -- for kindergartners -- turned into a vicious brawl between parents. Several mothers got into a verbal confrontation Wednesday during a kindergarten promotion ceremony at Puesta Del Sol Elementary School in Victorville. The altercation, which took place in a field near the ceremony, turned physical, according to San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Karen Hunt. Several men then jumped into the fray and...

It started with a showing of "Shutter Island" and ended with a real life attempted murder charge. A 39-year-old Lancaster man accused of stabbing another moviegoer with a meat thermometer during a screening of the horror film was ordered Friday to stand trial on attempted murder and other charges. Lancaster Superior Court Judge Christopher Estes found sufficient evidence to require Landry Boullard to proceed to trial on one count each of attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Boullard is accused of stabbing the victim in the...

The world turns. In Indonesia, the principal of a Muslim boarding school in Tangerang who is accused of impregnating a 15-year-old student says the DNA test will prove that a malevolent genie is the real father. In New Zealand, a German tourist, Herr Hans Kurt Kubus, has been jailed for attempting to board a plane at Christchurch with 44 live lizards in his underpants. In Britain, a research team at King’s College, London, has declared that the female “G-spot” does not, in fact, exist. In France a group of top gynecologists led by M. Sylvain Mimoun has dismissed the findings,...

On Thursday, Congress attempted to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP expansion. SCHIP? Isn't that something to do with health care for children? Absolutely. And here is Bay Area Democratic Rep. Pete Stark addressing the issue with his customary forensic incisiveness: "The Republicans are worried that they can't pay for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where are you going to get that money? Are you going to tell us lies like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the...