Free Republic

Saying Christians and Muslims can be friends, a Muslim scholar from Canada gave 15 reasons why they should to a downtown Tulsa audience Friday night. But a Christian minister from Tulsa who used to be a Muslim questioned the tolerance of his former religion and asked whether a program such as Friday's, held at the Tulsa Convention Center, could even take place in a Muslim nation.

As I sat on the bus watching the end of the train platform I noticed a couple of things. One…Lloyd was there with Angel in his arms(as always)…many multicolored balloons attached to her body (it was Angel’s Birthday…one of many throughout the year). …and he was standing on the end of the platform alone. All of the other people had fled to the other end….somewhat frightened by Lloyd…his face twisted into a perpetual scowl with all of the burn and scar tissue (and a result of the medication to prevent the seizures)…forever holding in his arms…. a toy 2 foot...

Republican candidates could be in big trouble in 2008 if the sluggish U.S. economy doesn't turn around quickly. Presidential elections often become a referendum on the economy, with the party of the White House incumbent assigned the credit or the blame for whatever happens in the economy.

Cure for killer bug - but there's a catch KATE FOSTER IN THE annals of medical history, this could go down as one of the most effective but stomach-churning treatments ever devised. Scientists seeking a cure for a deadly superbug have successfully treated patients using human faeces. Trials in a Scottish hospital have shown patients suffering from the Clostridium difficile bug can be cured using 'donor stool' administered via a tube through the nose into their stomach. Clostridium difficile was last week at the heart of a damning report into cleaning failures at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust...

Double Helix Nebula Do you believe the root cause of human behavior is the result of an individual’s genetics or is behavior a product of an environment? Is there a gene that makes us ask, “why?” or is curiosity about interacting with our environment and having access to good answers? In determining the success or failure of an individual in their environment, we now know the “nature versus nurture” debate is bunk. The question is misleading. It implies the influence of nature can be isolated and subsequently separated from the influences of nurture. The entire purpose of the “nature...

Fact Sheet: Strengthening Our Friendship with the Muslim Community Worldwide (See Below) 11:08 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Imam, thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me. I bring my personal respect to you, sir. And I appreciate your friendship. I do want to thank the governors of the Islamic Center. I welcome the Ambassadors. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate other distinguished guests who are here. It is an honor to join you at this rededication ceremony. As the Imam mentioned, half a century has passed since one of our great leaders welcomed the Islamic Center into our...

Oregon - A senator introduces an amendment to make it easier for a man to take his wife's surnameYou've heard of women's lib. Now, state Sen. Vicki Walker wants to introduce you to men's lib. The Eugene Democrat tagged an amendment onto a routine housekeeping bill that she hopes will help men who want to change their names when they marry, but aren't really sure how. Under Walker's amendment, the application for marriage licenses would be redesigned to make room for a little box where the bride and groom can write what they'll be called after the big day. Now,...

Shooter at Tech massacre identified in bomb threat; 9 hospitalized; victims named Monday morning's campus rampage was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. These are the latest details to emerge. Alan Kim | The Roanoke Times At mid-day today, Blacksburg's South Main Street looks much the same as it always does. Traffic is manageable. Businesses are open. But the flag at A Cleaner World drycleaner is at half mast. Farther down the street, in downtown Blacksburg, it looks a little like a Virginia Tech Game Day. Plenty of students are crossing streets and walking along sidewalks. Almost every one...

This is a 22 page report based on a comprehensive survey of American religious and other values. It is not possible to excerpt it. The Report begins by classifying values groups into: (1)Orthodox; (2)Progressive; (3) And, Independent. Orthodox represents about a third of the population. These individuals have a basic, religious outlook on life and they overwhelmingly believe in God. They wish to see government policies mirror religious values. They are strong believers in right and wrong and see most social issues in black and white terms. Progressives represent one sixth of the populationand are uniformly opposed to religious values...

(AP) TRENTON, N.J. New Jersey is looking to become the second state to outlaw a powerful gun that critics say can be used by terrorists to shoot down an airliner. Democratic lawmakers and Ceasefire N.J., an antigun group, unveiled a plan today to make it illegal to sell .50 caliber weapons in New Jersey. Legal Community Against Violence, a public interest law center that favors gun control, says California is the only state with a similar law to what's proposed in New Jersey. Maryland strictly regulates the rifle by requiring enhanced background checks and other requirements for its purchase. Supporters...

WAUSAU, Wisconsin (AP) -- Who is that mysterious, elegant man? And why is he sitting on a dead horse? Such are the questions sparked by a black-and-white photograph taken in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, between 1876 and 1884 that has led to nationwide curiosity, speculation and jokes. It's a picture of a mustachioed man in a suit and top hat who sits rakishly on the side of an expired horse in the middle of a dusty street. The picture was included in a newspaper's 2007 calendar and the response from readers prompted news articles. From there, it took off on the Internet....

It turns out you only have to attend a White House Christmas party to find out where President Bush is headed on Iraq. One guest who shook hands with Bush in the receiving line told him, "Don't let the bastards get you down." Bush, slightly startled but cheerful, replied, "Don't worry. I'm not." The guest followed up: "I think we can win in Iraq." The president's reply was emphatic: "We're going to win." Another guest informed Bush he'd given some advice to the Iraq Study Group, and said its report should be ignored. The president chuckled and said he'd made...

It has been a discouraging time for many of us on Free Republic. Besides losing an election we now must select a Presidential candidate. We know we are up against both the Democrats and the mainstream media. Surely it is time to think through who we want and why. As 2008 approaches we will ask candidates, “Why are you running for office?” Some stumble but most will answer this question in one of two ways. Either they will claim a desire “to serve the people” or they will conservative issues they support. Adding personal and professional biographical material may flesh...

Mr. Bolton served with exemplary tact at Turtle Bay, notwithstanding critics who said he wouldn't. More important, he has stood forcefully for American interests despite the leaks and sniping from the office of Secretary General Kofi Annan. He helped to corral votes for resolutions isolating Iran and North Korea for their nuclear programs. He was assailed for leading the fight against Mr. Annan's "reformed" Human Rights Council, but he and the U.S. are now looking prescient as that Council descends into one more Israel-bashing cabal. He also fought harder for U.N. reform than have his critics who claim to want...

...Why does Giving America behave so differently from Non-Giving America? The answer, contrary to what you might be thinking, is not income; America's working poor give away at least as large a percentage of their incomes as the rich, and a lot more than the middle class. The charity gap is driven not by economics but by values. "...Americans who weekly attend a house of worship are 25 percentage points more likely to give than people who go to church rarely or never. These religious folks also give nearly four times more dollars per year than secularists, on average, and...

Before Representative Charles Rangel writes any more he should read Albert Jay Nock's "Peace the Aristocrat." If he wants more emotion than reason he should read antiwar.com by Justin Raimando. Both Charlie and Justin miss why wars remain popular. Albert Jay Nock does not "Peace the Aristocrat" is a relatively famous essay by Albert Jay Nock explaining why pacifism is so often unsuccessful. It can be found in the May 1915 edition of the Atlantic Monthly. Albert Jay Nock was a lifelong pacifist and a libertarian before the word was invented. Many credit him with being the American father of...

THOUGH STOCKS HAVE SKIPPED TO NEW HIGHS this year, some investors have been reluctant to join the party. Bad news for them: This year, through Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrials had rallied more than 14%, while the S&P 500 was up almost 12%. A sizable stash of sidelined cash is good news for share prices, however, as it is available to invest at a moment's notice. If even a fraction of these funds flow into the market, stocks are apt to keep climbing to new records. A Bulls' Best Friend: A rise in the line shown here often is a...

Fox and Friends things

Software squeezes PC onto an iPod RingCube's MojoPac works on any portable storage device The Associated Press Updated: 6:15 a.m. PT Sept 26, 2006 Mobile computing just got more portable. Making even the latest pocketbook-sized ultra-mobile personal computers look more like lumbering giants, RingCube Technologies Inc. unveiled software that can virtually squeeze a PC onto an iPod, USB keychain drive, cell phone or any gizmo with digital storage space. RingCube's MojoPac software mirrors a computer's personal settings, programs and data on a storage device. Then, when it's connected to any computer running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP operating system, the virtual...

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, had a way with words. In 1922, she wrote a book chapter titled "The Cruelty of Charity." Charity toward the poor, especially toward poor immigrants, she opined, only "encourages the healthier and more normal sections of the world to shoulder the burden of unthinking and indiscriminate fecundity of others, which brings with it … a dead weight of human waste."

Drug can help cut diabetes risk, say researchers By Nic Fleming, Medical Correspondent (Filed: 16/09/2006) A drug that improves the body's ability to turn sugars into fuel can substantially reduce the chances of people at risk of Type 2 diabetes developing the disease, according to research published yesterday. In a large international trial volunteers with "pre-diabetes" taking rosiglitazone, sold under the brand name Avandia, were 60 per cent less likely than those on placebos to develop the full disease. The drug, already prescribed to those with Type 2 diabetes, was also found to help patients return to normal blood sugar...

Why do men need war? It's male bonding Reports by Roger Highfield and Nic Fleming (Filed: 09/09/2006) Men need threats, rivalry and war for them to work together the most effectively, according to a study of the "male warrior effect". The issue of why men start wars has been investigated in a series of experiments by Prof Mark van Vugt of the University of Kent. They reveal that conflict is part of male bonding. "We all know that males are more aggressive than females but with that aggression comes a lot of co-operation," Prof van Vugt said yesterday. While male...

The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards are tonight at 8 PM eastern. Look forward to host Jack Black, an endless parade of shameless self-congratulations and drunken F-bombs, and maybe some cretins trying to out-gross past appearances. Scheduled performances: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera. Mayor Bloomberg announced that Shakira will win (no, I'm not kidding). To commemorate the show's return to New York City, MTV has produced VMANYC2006, which will be "the site that never sleeps," with a map showing favorite celebrity places in NY.

Defense Department to Kick Off ‘Why We Serve’ TourBy Steven Donald SmithAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2006 -- Beginning next week, 13 servicemembers from across the force will fan out across the country to speak about their military experience. Thirteen servicemembers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan meet with Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England before they begin their speaking tour across the country. The Why We Serve speaking tour is a program created to respond to the requests of the American people who invite returning veterans to participate in community events and a variety of public affairs...

52 REASONS NOT TO MOW 37 WAYS TO HELP TREES Please download with 100% cotton, rice, recycled, or scrap paper Ron Howard, director of A Beautiful Mind and many other films,made his first film at age 8.. an anti mowing film which showed the nature of mowers' attacks on lawns. Art Buchwald: People shouldn't be judged by the length of their grass. In 2003 through now, the world has seen floods, famine, fire, mudslides, hurricanes, tornados and other disasters created by the unprecedented destruction of trees around the world. Trees are nature's weather stabilizers. We need trillions of trees.. new...

Why elephants avoid the high road 17:20 24 July 2006 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi Elephants do their utmost to avoid going uphill, a new satellite-tracking study shows – their finely balanced metabolism may reveal why. Researchers tracked elephants by satellite and found that the animals avoid travelling up slopes whenever possible. Calculations suggest an explanation for this behaviour: the big beasts would have to spend hours eating to compensate for travelling up even a relatively gentle incline. Scientists know that elephants can climb relatively steep mountainous terrain if they must. The North African general Hannibal is even said to...

SADDAM Hussein is receiving psychiatric counselling to convince him to start eating again after 12 days on hunger strike in a US military prison. Saying that the 69-year-old ousted Iraqi president was still refusing food but taking liquid nourishment, a US spokesman said such counselling was part of additional daily medical care for inmates who risked damaging their health by their actions. "Medical and mental health professionals counsel the detainees on the dangers," Lieutenant Colonel Keir-Kevin Curry said. "They try to convince the detainees to end their fast." Saddam and three co-defendants who last ate on July 7 are all...

THESE ARE THE SENATORS WHO VOTED TO GIVE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TO ILLEGAL ALIENS REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL PARTY, THESE POLITICIANS NEED TO BE DEFEATED IN 2006, 2008 OR 2010, WHENEVER THEY NEXT COME UP FOR OFFICE. SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW; THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION -- THAT IS, UNLESS THEY DO NOT MIND SHARING THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY WITH FOREIGN WORKERS WHO NEVER PAID INTO IT AND AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE BEING LEFT OUT. Grouped by Home State Alabama: Alaska: Stevens (R-AK), Yea Arizona: McCain (R-AZ), Yea Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Pryor (D-AR),...

I am curious why none of the media covers the most important aspect of the Malvo shootings. If you look at Newspapers on the dates when the shootings are underway you discover something I find quite interesting. The shootings begin to dominate the news the day before the debate on the Iraq war starts and they catch them the day after the declaration of war??? If you ask most people "do you remember the debate about starting the second Iraq war", they will all answer "yes of course". But if you followup with the question "name one point in the...

I recently received a reply to a post that stated: "This should be beneath a "freeper". Sad." So I asked.. what is it that makes a FReeper? My reply (and I will admit was tasteless) was also questioning. It stirred controversy and was removed? Why Moderators? Can you not tell me? Did it not meet with your "FReeper" mentality? According to all posted guidelines it should be listed but no, you chose to delete it. Yes.. I'm the first one IBTZ, I'm sure you'll nick me for speaking up..

At Evergreen Cemetery American flags are lined up row upon row, marking the names of veterans. On this Memorial Day, hundreds came to Evergreen for a ceremony that paid tribute to all of the men and women who died fighting for this country. Veterans placed wreaths and fired a salute. Boy Scouts blew taps. Others released doves. And, as the birds soared, so did emotions. Mike Brewer, a Vietnam Veteran, says, "I've been roaming around with Buddy Poppies since I was 8 years old, so 50 years of emotions." Judy Baldwin says, "My father was in World War II....

OSWIECIM, Poland - Pope Benedict XVI visited the Auschwitz concentration camp as "a son of the German people" Sunday and asked God why he remained silent during the "unprecedented mass crimes" of the Holocaust. ADVERTISEMENT Benedict walked along the row of plaques at the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex's memorial, one in the language of each nationality whose members died there. As he stopped to pray, a light rain stopped and a brilliant rainbow appeared over the camp. "To speak in this place of horror, in this place where unprecedented mass crimes were committed against God and man, is almost impossible — and...

Those familiar jingles could be a thing of the past if a health campaign succeeds FOR 60 years the tinny jingle of Greensleeves that announced the arrival of the ice-cream van has been an indelible memory of childhood, but that sound may soon be removed from suburban streets. Health lobbyists have decided that ice-creams are too much of a danger to children’s health. MPs and health officials are planning a series of measures across the country that are already forcing Mr Whippy and his helpers into meltdown. Under an amendment to the Education and Inspection Bill to be put forward...

Brouhaha ContextBy John Hammer Despite what Americans have been led to believe by the mainstream media, the protests about the Danish cartoons are about as spontaneous as the canned laughter on an old network sitcom. Imagine for a moment that you are so outraged by the riots in Pakistan that you and 10,000 of your closest friends and family decide to protest. So you go to your flag locker and pull out your Pakistani flag to burn. What? You don’t have a flag locker with flags of every nation in the world? Wow, if one is to believe the tripe...

KRASNODAR, Russia, July 24, (IslamOnline.net) - The United States has agreed to grant citizenship to 7,000 Ahiska Muslims who will be settled in Pennsylvania, reported a Russian newspaper on Friday, July 23. The first 11-strong batch of the Ahiska Muslims, living in the Russian province of Krasnodar, left for Geneva on Thursday, July 22, before flying to Philadelphia, reported Novie Izvestia. It added that the Muslims would be housed near the grand mosque in Philadelphia. The paper recalled that Krasnodar governor Alexander Tkachev was notified of the American decision on February 15. Izvestia said the Russian government does not treat...

Sporting just a swimsuit, a swimming cap and goggles, Lewis Pugh plots to conquer the icy Antarctic waters.The solicitor braved the Arctic Ocean in August and now plans three long distance swims in the Antarctic, the first to accomplish such a feat in both of the world's coldest seas. "Its the last boundary of polar exploration," Pugh, 35, told Reuters as he prepared to leap into a small plastic pool as helpers shovel in mounds of fresh ice. "The classical era of walking to the South Pole is over and now what we are doing is testing the boundaries of...

The reason why Bush is in the mess he is in comes down to communication and passivity. Team Bush has a lousy, lousy communication staff. McLellan is laughable. He is no Lyn Nofziger or a Mike McCurry. Bush should have a teflon, tough as nails Press Sec or a teflon, smoothie with a surplus of witty retorts to lob back at the Dem Shills in the Press Room. Instead he has a guy who always looks like he has sh*t in his pants.. This is not good. Dan Bartlett is another mediocre dude-- looks too prissy. He ain't no Ed...

Poison Ivy Basics Poison ivy is a red, itchy rash caused by the plant that bears its name. Many people get it when they are hiking or working in their garden and accidentally come into direct contact with the plant's leaves, roots, or stems. The poison ivy rash often looks like red lines, and sometimes it forms blisters. The culprit behind the rash is a chemical in the sap of poison ivy plants called urushiol (oo-roo-shee-ohl). Its name comes from the Japanese word "urushi," meaning lacquer. Urushiol is the same substance that triggers an allergic reaction when people touch...

The United States has granted a visa to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend U.N. meetings in New York but said Wednesday that it was still investigating whether he had a role in the 1979 U.S. Embassy siege in Tehran. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States had issued a travel visa to Ahmadinejad on Tuesday in Bern, Switzerland, which would allow him to attend United Nations meetings with other world leaders next week. Switzerland has handled U.S. interests in Iran since Washington cut ties with Tehran in 1980, and the U.S. and Iran are at odds now...

MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is waiting for the United States to confirm its readiness to accept assistance from Russia in dealing with the aftermath of the natural disaster that hit New Orleans, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday. "Besides concerns about the fate of our nationals, we again confirmed to the American leaders our readiness to render humanitarian and other assistance in the efforts being made by American authorities, including equipment to search for people under debris, installations to purify and desalinate water, medicine, and other things that may be necessary," Lavrov said. The minister said...

Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn: 1) The bandage was wound around the wound. 2) The farm was used to produce produce. 3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4) We must polish the Polish furniture. 5) He could lead if he would get the lead out. 6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. 8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9) When...

Why Did They Look Into It?Friday, August 05, 2005 By Brit Hume Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine: The New York Times has been asking lawyers who specialize in adoption cases for advice on how to get into the sealed court records on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' two adopted children. There is no indication The Times had any evidence there was anything improper in the family's adoption of five-year-old Josie and four-year-old Jack, both born in Latin America. Sources familiar with the matter told FOX News that at least one lawyer turned the Times down flat, saying...

I'm trying to locate anyone from Fort Bragg, North Carolina that served 82nd Airborne Division 319 Infantry in the years 1989-1991. And also anyone that was deployed to Frankurt, Germany in 1991. Please email ASAP at claudiag@cox.net if you have any information. Thank you

A Hamilton County juvenile judge granted a continuance today in the case of a Hyde Park teen charged with murder after he allegedly beat his brother to death using a baseball bat. Defense attorneys for Andrew Warrington, 16, asked for more time to prepare at today's probable cause hearing. Judge Thomas Lipps granted the request. Warrington's parents, Marcie and John Warrington Jr., who are divorced, held hands as they walked into a courtroom packed with media. During the brief hearing, John Warrington reassuringly gripped the arm of his handcuffed and leg shackled son. Lipps ordered Andrew Warrington held until the...

If You ain't here after what I'm here after, You will likely be here after I'm gone! I signed up to be a Republican because I believe in a Republic! I signed up before a lot of You were born, I ain't likely to run from the Republican Party, as much as some of You are running away from Me!

I have run spybot and it didn't see it. I despise MS' model for adding "features" to IE.

Many argue that communism will never be possible because of "human nature". The essence of this false argument is the belief that a communist society would consist of an all-powerful central government that would tell everybody what to do--and would therefore undermine the creative initiative of individuals and the search for happiness. • This argument is based on two false assumptions: (1) It assumes that a communist society will look like the former Soviet Union, or the current China, North Korea, etc (ie: corrupt police states with a feudal-style ruling class) (2) It assumes that people will only work in...

Does anyone have their ear to the ground regarding "The Warroom" and the potential for nationwide syndication?

Why had Mesopotamians built Mari? French archeologist solves mystery of ancient Mesopotamian city purpose-built in desert for metallurgical industry. By Annick Benoist - PARIS The mystery of an ancient Mesopotamian city has finally been lifted after 25 years of meticulous work by a French archaeologist who has revealed it was one of the first "modern cities", purpose-built in the desert for the manufacture of copper arms and tools. In a new book entitled "Mari, the Metropolis of the Euphrates", Jean-Claude Margueron said the third millennium BC city, in modern day Syria, was "one of the first modern cities of humanity....