Free Republic

What a difference six months — and a health-care overhaul proposal — can make! Just six months ago, the U.S Preventive Services Task Force, which works within the Department of Health and Human Services as a “best practice” panel on prevention, sounded a warning signal over a slight decline in annual mammograms among women in their 40s. In fact, they warned women of this age bracket that they could be risking their lives if they didn’t get the annual preventive exam (via HA reader Devil’s Advocate): The downward trend, however slight, has breast cancer experts worried. Mammograms can enable physicians...

Lou Dobbs, the longtime CNN anchor whose anti-immigration views have made him a TV lightning rod, plans to announce Wednesday that he is leaving the network, two network employees said. A CNN executive confirmed that Mr. Dobbs will announce his resignation plans on his 7 p.m. program. His resignation is effective immediately; tonight’s program will be his last on CNN. His contract was not set to expire until the end of 2011. Well known for his political positions, Dobbs is an outlier at CNN, which has sought to position itself as a middle ground of sorts in the fractious cable...

I am a Mac user by choice, but my work computer is an HP Pavilion laptop running Vista. I am in NO way trying to bash MS (though I generally am no fan of Gates and his MS beast), but I am seeking real discourse and help. I am a fairly experienced computer users, and have spent a good deal of time over the last few years helping in the technology department at my previous employment. Back in the spring (machine was still under warranty), the HD died (supposedly, I am not convinced) right after a large Windows update (that...

A great explosion of purity is about to come , But "not" as before(as Katrina) ,something straight from my kingdom , The heavenlies are about to applaud , I AM The Lord behold I alone am God ! Yet for my children of my rod and staff , They shall rest in my bossom of Zion and laugh , For the Joy of The Lord is their strength , And these are my children of victiory that have gone the full length , Obedience to me has become their rod , My staff is their com(fort) for I AM their...

Budget Update Delayed, Health Care Plan on Back BurnerBy Christine Lin Epoch Times Staff Jul 20, 2009 By now, the nation should have received the national budget forecast for next year, but The White House has delayed the announcement until mid-August. Some analysts speculate that the release of a less-than-optimistic budget update will put a hitch in President Obama's plans to reform the nation's $2.5 trillion health industry by August. House Democrats are currently pushing for votes to pass the reform. Obama also has a global warming bill that he is trying to convince legislators to support—if the budget update...

Reporting from Chicago -- At least one sign in Illinois -- welcoming drivers to the state's International Port District -- still proclaims Rod R. Blagojevich to be governor. After Blagojevich was impeached and ousted from office following his arrest on federal corruption charges, Gov. Pat Quinn called for a cleansing of the Blagojevich name from signs across the state. The 32 such signs above Illinois Tollway plazas were removed immediately. Yet the painted sign near the top of a 41-story grain elevator near Lake Calumet still bears the disgraced former governor's name. "The good news is it's flaking off," said...

1. Afghanistan-Pakistan (Af-Pak) Czar: Richard Holbrooke Actual Title: US Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Presidential Appointment Established: 2009 Duties: He believes in the power of negotiations to bring peace and prosperity to an increasingly fractured world. But he says diplomacy will only succeed if the U.S. pursues robust relationships with allies as well as with enemies, especially in places like the Middle East. He has also opposed unilateral action by U.S. officials; Afghanistan - Holbrooke will help Obama execute his Afghanistan plan. Obama plans to bolster American forces in Afghanistan, increase aid to Pakistan, and set strict standards for measuring...

Hello all, Just a short update & a praise report. Granny is still in the hospital and doing much better. The doctor said that he expects her to go back to rehab in a couple of days. This is due to all you out there that has been so kind as to pray. Please continue to pray that Granny will continue to progress & that no more strokes will plauge her. Pray that God will put his hand on her heart & protect her. Pray also for my family that we will not give up hope. Praise God!!

Just an update to the fine folks that are lifting prayers up for my Granny, Daphane Jenkins. They are moving her to the rehab place today to start helping her get on her feet. She has about 95% of her speech back & is getting stronger by the minute. She was quoting scripture last night. Please continue to pray that she will continue to get stronger & that she will be able to go back to her house real soon. Also pray for the nursing staff, the techs & the doctors that are seeing Granny. May God grant them the...

An update on how my Granny is doing. The Lord definitely works through prayer. Granny is talking, sitting up, watching t.v. (Fox News, thank you), and doing much better. She keeps saying she wants to go back to rehab so she can get stronger. Prayers answered. She is scheduled to go back today to rehab (which is outside the hospital). The doctors & nurses are flaberghasted at her recovery & of how much she has recovered. We tell them it is the Lord and prayer that is getting her through this. Imagine, a near death stroke has become a witnessing...

I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL WHO OFFERED UP PRAYERS & THOUGHTS FOR MY GRANNY. LAST AFTERNOON AFTER WORK I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND WE THOUGHT ALL WAS LOST. SHE COULDN'T TALK, SHE COULDN'T MOVE HER LEGS OR ARMS (INCLUDING HER FINGERS). ALL SHE WOULD DO IS MOVE HER EYES TOWARD YOU WHEN YOU TALKED TO HER. THEN, AFTER GRABBING A BITE TO EAT (ABOUT NINE O'CLOCK), WE WERE SHOCKED TO SEE HER MOVE BOTH HER ARMS & LEGS, TRY TO SPEAK NORE CLEARLY, CLAP HER HANDS, LAUGH, AND MOST SHOCKING, WE ASKED HE IF SHE COULD WRITE...

A routine security update for a Microsoft Windows component installed on tens of millions of computers has quietly installed an extra add-on for an untold number of users surfing the Web with Mozilla's Firefox Web browser. Earlier this year, Microsoft shipped a bundle of updates known as a "service pack" for a programming platform called the Microsoft .NET Framework, which Microsoft and plenty of third-party developers use to run a variety of interactive programs on Windows. < snip > Having earlier checked to see whether the service pack had caused any widespread problems or interfered with third-party programs -- and...

Israel Air Force test pilots are flying MIG 29 jets and conducting dogfights against the IAF's F-16 fighters, Channel 2 revealed Wednesday evening....An additional experiment conducted recently by the air force involved loading an F-16 with weapons to its utmost capacity, or "flight in a heavy formation," .... The experiment was meant to measure the pilot's safety and the fighter's capability when it was carrying the maximum amount of armaments

Two men are dead and three others wounded after shootings within 15 minutes of each other citywide Friday afternoon.

Big, bald and bad — at least, on the football field — Otis Sistrunk was once the quintessential Oakland Raider. Thirty years later, he's part of the military team at Fort Lewis. It's a long way from Mars to Fort Lewis, but Otis Sistrunk thinks he landed in the right place. ¶ Sistrunk, 62, spent seven years (1972-78) as a defensive tackle with the Oakland Raiders and looks to be in playing shape even today. He has worked 30 years for the military, including the past 16 at Fort Lewis, where he manages the base's sports stadium. "When I played...

(Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania – 09/10/08) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, the Attorney who filed suit against Barack H. Obama challenging Senator Obama’s eligibility to serve as President of the United States, filed a Motion for Extensive and Expedited Discovery including the Depositions of Barack Obama and Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee [DNC] with a Special Master in the case of Berg vs. Obama, Civil Action No. 08-cv-4083, on 09/09/08. Berg stressed to the Court the urgency of this case as, we the people, are heading to a “Constitutional Crisis” if this case is not resolved forthwith.

The 2007 FreeRepublic LexiconAKA "The Freepism, Freepology, Lingo, Dictionary, Terminology, Lore Handbook" A revised and condensed version of The Lexicon of FreeRepublic, culled from Lexicon of FreeRepublic - 4th Edition and Freeper Lingo Thread (the history and meening of 'Freepisms' including pictures). Thanks to the many Freepers who contributed! (see also The 2007 FreeRepublic Lexicon) I have attempted to include all definitions and histories provided to me and give credit to those who provided me the information. I apologize, in advance to those I failed to credit, but please understand that it was very difficult to keep up with all...

A former pastor at Plano’s Prestonwood Baptist Church now faces six more counts of online solicitation of a minor, authorities said. Joe Barron was first arrested by the Bryan Police Department last month after he tried to meet with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl for sex, authorities said. The two had communicated online. Mr. Barron was charged with one count of online solicition of a minor. He later posted $7,000 bail and was released. He was arrested again Wednesday afternoon and faces four additional counts of online solicitation from the Bryan Police Department and two additional...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. needs a new, modern arsenal of nuclear weapons to use as a deterrent to attacks from other nations for the remainder of the 21st century, the top military commander for strategic warfare said Tuesday. Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of the military's Strategic Command, said if the Pentagon develops an improved, more reliable nuclear weapon, the U.S. will be able to reduce the number of warheads it keeps on hand. “So long as there are other countries in the world that possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy the United States of America and our way...

Gulf Region North district encompasses 66,000 square miles in seven of Iraq’s 18 provinces, north and east of Baghdad. Its four strategic cities are Mosul, Samarra, Kirkuk and Baqubah. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has project and construction management responsibility for the Iraq Reconstruction Program; and it assists Iraq’s provincial governments as they assume responsibility for managing their infrastructure development, and the capability to sustain it. COB SPEICHER — In the city of Samarra, Iraq, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed 40 of the 45 planned projects in the Iraq Reconstruction Program. “We’re joining the Iraqi people...

My eWEEK Labs colleague Andrew Garcia has independently confirmed a report that will appear in tomorrow's Windows Secrets newsletter: Windows Update is fetching and installing some updates without end users' consent. Windows Secrets contacted eWEEK and Microsoft Watch earlier this afternoon about the discovery. Tomorrow, Windows Secrets' Scott Dunn will report that Windows Update has started "altering files on users' systems without displaying any dialog box to request permission. The only altered files that have been reported to date are 18 small executables used by WU itself. Microsoft is patching these files silently, even if auto-updates have been disabled on...

The Senate did not meet again today, and that’s a big mistake. We are running a very real risk of another Gray-Davis-sized fiscal crisis next year and for exactly the same reason: the governor increased spending much too fast, the economy is now cooling, and the level of spending cannot be sustained. We have to take decisive action now to avert far more difficult choices in the immediate future. The proper parliamentary process is to put forth a clean senate bill that can be amended – and then to allow individual amendments to be presented – one after another –...

Frontpage Interview’s guest today is R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., the founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator. [Snip] FP: What inspired you to write this book? Tyrrell: The rogue himself. He is one of the most preposterous figures in American political history. [Snip] FP: Illuminate for us a few of the ingredients that make Bill Clinton a tortured man in his retirement. Tyrrell: He senses that he has failed as a President—there are many examples of this in the book. Hence you see his angry outbursts in the book. But he also, being a sociopath, cannot perceive that...

I thought I would put up this vanity for the benefit of those (myself included) who missed the recent 'dust up' over Giuliani. Obviously, there have been strong feelings over the Republican candidates with te various sides knocking each other around on the issues and, unfortunately, on meaningless personal items. Things came to a head about a week ago with Jim Robinson's post regarding Giuliani and FR's principles (the post has since turned into an undead/bugzapper thread). Ultimately, several Freepers (of various 'ages' - some old, some new) had their accounts terminated by request, opus, or zot (click here if...

I have been having a recurring problem with this Windows Update for the last few months.  No matter how many times I accept the update, install it, it always "returns" at another time.  If I uncheck and then check "do not notify me about this update again", it still returns anyway.  Has anyone else had an issue with this? Maybe I would just be better off to uninstall Windows Defender?  

...“Simply put, he is reading,” said Dr. Philip Marion, the medical director for the rehabilitative medicine department. A reading test “showed that he is comprehending written material and successfully following written commands.” Mr. Johnson is also speaking in full sentences and initiating conversations. “Tim is enjoying reading the many cards and letters from his friends across the state,” said Barbara Johnson, his wife. “One of his doctors described his progress to date as miraculous. There is no doubt in my mind that the many prayers that have been offered for his recovery are being answered.”

Note: I am excerpting only some recent opinions from this long article. Most of the remainder has been posted on FR in one form or another; however, the article is well written and clear. ...His doctors say Johnson improves each week. He watches CNN. He was able to remind his therapist of his youngest grandson's name and cheer on the Indianapolis Colts. He participates in three hours of physical, occupational and speech therapy a day, and it's anticipated that recovery could take months. Three weeks ago, he was moved from the intensive care unit to the in-patient rehabilitation unit. David...

...The news from the hospital has been good, so far. "In talking to his physicians, we really feel optimistic and confident that he is going to make a full recovery," says Brendan Johnson, 31, one of the senator's three children and a lawyer in Sioux Falls, S.D. "It is something that takes time. Unfortunately, we don't have any type of exact timetable." Johnson speaks only a few words at a time. "He's not conversational, in terms of long conversation," Brendan Johnson says. "He's clearly registering when we discuss topics." Johnson undergoes three hours of therapy every day, working with parallel...

Senator Johnson is showing evidence of more functional, spontaneous speech and is indicating preferences. He is answering questions and following commands appropriately,” said Dr. Philip Marion, medical director of the hospital’s Department of Rehabilitative Medicine, where Johnson is being treated as an inpatient. Johnson was moved from the intensive care unit Jan. 11. According to a statement released by his office Thursday, Johnson’s has been watching movies with his family when he is not working with physical and speech therapists. He has asked that his television be tuned to CNN, and his wife Barbara said he is aware that President...

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson is spending Thursday, his 60th birthday, sedated in a Washington, D.C. hospital. Family members plan to be at his bedside. Senator Johnson remains sedated after undergoing emergency surgery two weeks ago for bleeding in the brain. A Johnson spokesman says his family remains optimistic but could not say how long he'll remain under sedation. The senator has been in critical condition since the surgery. He is sedated to help minimize the swelling of his brain.

Just received this e-mail from my niece, Gretchen regarding Chris.

Hot off the newswire, C|Net is reporting that Microsoft is working on an issue with the Microsoft Update platform that was delaying distribution of today’s updates. Oddly enough, as of 10 minutes ago, my update worked just fine. "Due to technical difficulties experienced on the Microsoft Update platform, security updates released today are not currently available via Microsoft Update, Automatic Updates, Windows Server Update Services or Windows Update v6," the software maker said.

The 10.4.8 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies: - connecting to wireless networks using the EAP-FAST protocol - Apple USB modem reliability - using OpenType fonts in Microsoft Word - compatibility with 3rd party USB hubs - scanner performance - RAW camera support - printing documents with Asian language names - performance of the Translation widget - broadband network performance - security updates For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n304200. For detailed information on Security Updates, please visit this...

What's New in Firefox 1.5.0.6 Firefox 1.5.0.6 is a stability update that is part of our ongoing program to provide a safe Internet experience for our customers. We recommend that all users upgrade to this latest version. Fixed an issue with playing Windows Media content Release Date: August 2, 2006 Downloading Firefox 1.5.0.6 Mozilla.com provides Firefox for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X in a variety of languages. To get Firefox 1.5.0.6, download it here. For builds for other systems and languages not provided, see the Contributed Builds section at the end of this document.

The 10.4.7 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies. It includes fixes for: - preventing AFP deadlocks and dropped connections - saving Adobe and Quark documents to AFP mounted volumes - Bluetooth file transfers, pairing and connecting to a Bluetooth mouse, and syncing to mobile phones - audio playback in QuickTime, iTunes, Final Cut Pro, and Soundtrack applications - ensuring icons are spaced correctly when viewed on desktop - determining the space required to burn folders - iChat audio and video connectivity, creating chat...

What Credit Monitoring Will VA Offer?NEW: How Will VA Provide Credit Monitoring?As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continuing efforts to protect and assist those potentially affected by the recent data theft that occurred at an employee's Maryland home, VA announced on June 21 that the agency will provide one year of free credit monitoring to individuals whose sensitive personal information - Social Security Number (SSN) - may have been stolen in the incident.VA also announced on June 21 the Department is soliciting bids to hire a company that provides data breach analysis, which will look for possible...

Thursday, June 01, 2006 Reuters Death Threat Update 9 Writer Tom Gross has been following the saga of the death threat we received from a Reuters employee, and he has independently confirmed that Inayat Bunglawala, media secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, works for Reuters as a senior systems engineer at their Docklands offices in East London. Reuters “Zionist pig” death threat update. Following the previous dispatch, Reuters employee issues “Zionist pig” death threat (May 30, 2006), several journalists have asked me to confirm that Inayat Bunglawala is an employee of Reuters. He is. Bunglawala, who also serves as...

On Monday evening at about 9:10 pm, I saw an icon in my XP Home Edition (with SP2) computer, telling me that a Windows update needed to be installed. I clicked on it, and it did the installation. When I restarted Windows, and went into Word and PowerPoint, I found I could not do a save or a save as. When I tried either command, the application simply froze up (the little application icon at the top left of the window became a white rectangle). When I clicked to close the window, Windows gave me the "application is not responding"...

What's New in Firefox 1.5.0.2 Firefox 1.5.0.2 provides native support for Macintosh with Intel Core processors, and stability and security enhancements that are part of our ongoing program to provide a safer Internet experience for our users. We recommend that all Firefox users upgrade to this latest version. Here's what's new in Firefox 1.5.0.2: Universal Binary support for Mac OS X which provides native support for Macintosh with Intel Core processors. Firefox supports the enhancements to performance introduced by the new MacIntel chipsets. Improvements to product stability. Several security fixes. The Burning Edge has more detailed lists of notable bug...

Hi FRiends ~ Sorry this update is a bit late. I have been unable to get online since Friday afternoon. After a lot of trouble shooting, my husband finally discover that the router cable to my computer had been chewed through......one of our cute neighborhood squirrels, most likely. Anyway, hubby replaced the cable this afternoon so I thought I'd come out and give you an update on what is now going with me.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- At least seven people were killed Friday by severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that swept across central Tennessee, state officials said. All seven deaths were in Sumner County northeast of Nashville, said Eddie Boatwright, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. He said the deaths were confirmed by hospitals and emergency workers but names of the victims were not yet unavailable. Fire Chief Joe Womack said three bodies were pulled from the wreckage of homes in the Woodhaven subdivision of Gallatin, about 24 miles northeast of Nashville. The three bodies were loaded into an ambulance in the...

Minneapolis Police have made two arrests in the Uptown murder of Michael Zebuhr. Police have confirmed two black males have been arrested in the two-week-old murder. Police say one of the suspects is an adult, and the other a juvenile. Zebuhr was fatally shot the evening of March 18th after he left a restaurant with his family. Zebuhr is originally of Buckhannon, West Virginia and was a Ph. D. candidate in the bioengineering program at Clemson University in South Carolina. He and his mother were in Minneapolis to visit his sister. Police sources say the two suspects will be charged...

CINCINNATI -- Carson Palmer still faces many uncertainties as he rehabs his left knee. How many games -- if any -- will he miss this fall? And who might fill in for him now that former backup Jon Kitna signed as a free agent with Detroit? He says he expects to play in the regular-season opener, but that also might be in question. "I wish I knew when I was coming back," Palmer said Wednesday. "The last thing I need to do is push anything too early and push back the date that I can really step on the field...

Dateline: Basnar Squirrel War Headquarters Subject: WMD Night Attack Animals can communicate better than we previously thought. “Prairie dogs have a language. They talk, and they sometimes talk about us,” according to Con Slobodchikoff, a professor of biology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, as quoted in the Jan. 6, 2005, Arizona Daily Star. For example, the rodents can tell other prairie dogs whether the approaching threat is a predator or a human. They can even detect and transmit differences in the color of the clothes that humans are wearing, Slobodchikoff says. I’ve been writing for years about the abilities...

The 10.4.4 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users. It includes fixes for: - SMB/CIFS and NFS network file services - Bluetooth wireless access - Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, RAW camera support, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers - Spotlight indexing and searching - AppleScript, iChat, DVD Player, and Safari applications - Dashboard widgets: Calendar and Stocks - Software Update and Sync Services - compatibility with USB and FireWire devices and third party applications - previous standalone security updates For detailed information on this Update, please...

I don't think we can post articles from this slimy source, but it's a severe enough alert to make it important to be widely known. Select the source above for some details.

Last month I introduced you to Nikolette Harris, a twelve year old girl from my parish who is fighting leukemia for the third time. Here are some major updates: 1. GOOD NEWS: In the past two weeks, the football fans in Oregon have discovered Nikolette's case and have helped raise $25,000 for her treatment ("only" $100,000 to go). 2. GOOD NEWS: The football trend continues: from this story: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls05/news/story?id=2261066 we find that several bowl games are competing to raise funds for Nikolette. 3. GOOD NEWS (after bad): After having all of her bone marrow inactivated by chemotherapy to put her...

About Java 2 Platform Standard Edition (J2SE) 5.0 Release 3 for Mac OS X v 10.4.2 or later Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) 5.0 Release 3 allows applications and applets developed for the J2SE 5.0 platform to run on Mac OS X v 10.4.2 and later. This update does not change the default version of Java on your Mac from Java 1.4.2 to J2SE 5.0, though Java applications that require J2SE 5.0 may specifically request it. You can change the preferred Java version for applications and applets by using the new Java Preferences utility. This utility is installed by...

Hi everyone - I got news last night that my younger brother Mike had a massive heart attack yesterday. He was recovering from an aneurism in his brain (an attack he had last year). They put him on a machine to help pump blood into his heart but they plan to disconnect him from the machine on Thurs.

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.7 Released Thursday September 29th, 2005 Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.7 is now available for download. Amongst other changes, this minor release includes fixes for a return receipt regression introduced in version 1.0.2 (bug 289091) and the Linux command line URL parsing security flaw.Thunderbird 1.0.7 can be downloaded from the Thunderbird product page or the Thunderbird 1.0.7 directory on ftp.mozilla.org. Refer to the Thunderbird 1.0.7 Release Notes for more information. We expect details of the security fixes in this release to be added to the Mozilla Foundation's list of known security vulnerabilities soon.