http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/yesterday/ en-us Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:48:55 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049340/posts For the Pritzker family of Chicago, the 2001 collapse of subprime-mortgage lender Superior Bank was an embarrassing failure in a corner of their giant business empire. Billionaire Penny Pritzker helped run Hinsdale, Ill.-based Superior, overseeing her family's 50% ownership stake. She now serves as Barack Obama's national campaign-finance chairwoman, which means her banking past could prove to be an embarrassment to her -- and perhaps to the campaign. Superior was seized in 2001 and later closed by federal regulators. Government investigators and consumer advocates have contended that Superior engaged in unsound financial activities and predatory lending practices. Ms. Pritzker, a... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049340/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:48:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039971/posts A singer who was to perform the "Star Spangled Banner" at the presentation of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's State of the City address yesterday substituted the "Black National Anthem" without notifying anyone, because she says as a black, she just doesn't feel American. "I pulled a switcheroonie on them," Rene Marie said in a report in the Denver Post. In a video of the event, Marie had been introduced by city council president Michael Hancock, who said she would sing the national anthem. Instead, she sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the "Black National Anthem," to the... worldnetdaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039971/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 23:24:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036993/posts Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans. Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans. "This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036993/posts#comment Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:41:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2029642/posts For those tired of texting or disillusioned with downloading, there now appears to be yet another use for their mobile phones - cooking popcorn. Intriguing videos showing people amusing themselves by watching corn being popped by the energy given off by their ringing mobiles have been posted on the video-sharing internet site YouTube. Each of the four videos shows small groups of friends casually lounging around tables and placing a small handful of corn in the middle of a circle of three or four phones. Then, after a few seconds of the phones ringing, the kernels expand and jump in... The Daily Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2029642/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:01:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2029462/posts OCEAN CITY, Md. — The print ad, which takes up most of a newspaper page, shouts, "The Ocean Is Evaporating!" TV and Internet spots warn that the world's oceans will disappear — in about a billion years. But what appear to be public service announcements this week, delivered with a fake sternness by Mayor Richard W. Meehan, are actually an ad campaign to encourage visits to the resort town. "We're advising citizens to book their Ocean City getaway now, before the ocean evaporates," Meehan says in the commercials; the image blurs and jumps like an old newsreel. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2029462/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:42:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2028387/posts Spain's Rafael Nadal won his fourth French Open tennis championship on Sunday in Paris by demolishing rival Roger Federer in straight sets 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. cbc.ca http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2028387/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jun 2008 17:32:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026617/posts BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) ― Flying the Confederate flag has long been controversial in Southern states but now it's causing a heated debate at Kennedy High School in Bloomington, Minn. Three seniors who displayed the flag will not be allowed to attend their graduation ceremony Wednesday evening. "It was sitting like that in the parking lot," said Justin Thompson, as he held a Confederate flag that was hanging from a pole inside a pick-up truck bed. On Tuesday, three seniors, each with a rebel flag on the back of their pick-ups, parked at Kennedy High School. "I'm just a country type... Breitbart/WCCO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026617/posts#comment Thu, 5 Jun 2008 19:09:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2026396/posts News of Barack Obama’s buddy Tony Rezko the Chicago Real estate Developer and fundraiser for Barack has been found guilty on Federal Corruption charges. Video response from RNC included Stuck On Stupid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2026396/posts#comment Thu, 5 Jun 2008 12:50:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023578/posts CARLSBAD, California: Rupert Murdoch has predicted a Democratic landslide in the US presidential election against a gloomy economic backdrop over the next 18 months and described Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama as a "rock star". Mr Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, which owns The Australian, has yet to endorse a US presidential candidate but considers Barack Obama very promising, he told two Wall Street Journal reporters yesterday. News Corp recently acquired ownership of The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones. "You have got the Obama phenomenon. You have got, undoubtedly, a recession ... The... The Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023578/posts#comment Fri, 30 May 2008 16:32:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022990/posts Who's the glamorous aide always by Hillary Clinton's side? She's Huma Abedin, Vogue model and 'mythical figure' who hushes reporters with a glance. She's won the heart of Rep. Anthony Weiner (below). Rep. Anthony Weiner, a likely 2009 mayoral candidate, is pouring his heart into Hillary Clinton's White House bid - literally. Weiner, whose district includes parts of Queens and Brooklyn, finally 'fessed that he is romancing Clinton's glamorous "body woman," Huma Abedin. Asked by The Associated Press about all the time he's spending on the road campaigning for Clinton, the 43-year-old bachelor said, "It's largely because I'm dating Huma."... Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022990/posts#comment Thu, 29 May 2008 15:39:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022468/posts Hundreds of parents of autistic children are signing an online petition to get Florida teacher Wendy Portillo fired for her alleged tactics toward a 5-year-old boy that mirror the reality show “Survivor.” Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie, Fla., recently alerted Melissa Barton that her son, Alex, suffers from a high-functioning form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, WPEC News reported. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022468/posts#comment Wed, 28 May 2008 15:30:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020103/posts Police in southern Sweden have arrested two men suspected of attempting to sabotage the nuclear power plant at Oskarshamn. The arrests were made after traces of the high explosive TATP were found on a bag belonging to a welder entering the plant. TATP, which is relatively easy to make, was used by the British 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid when he planned to blow up an aeroplane in 2001, and by the London bombers in July 2005. Although an office building on the plant's property was evacuated, the nuclear installation itself was not shut down. The Oskarshamn plant is one of... Radio Netherlands http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020103/posts#comment Fri, 23 May 2008 05:58:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019711/posts During MSNBC's live coverage of the Kentucky and Oregon Democratic presidential primaries on Tuesday, NBC's Andrea Mitchell seemed to take seriously suggestions by Hillary Clinton "loyalists" who argue that Republicans in control of the election process in some red states Barack Obama hopes to carry may deny him a "fair vote" in the November general election. Mitchell: "Other Clinton loyalists, but realists, say that that electoral map is a stretch in one regard: There are ... Republican governors and Secretaries of State, if you will, Katherine Harris-type election officials in those states. ... [Obama] has to go up against the... Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019711/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 15:10:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2019620/posts SMH Can't be posted due to copyright issues. Heard on Fox news. Fox and Friends http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2019620/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 12:14:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2015696/posts The City Council put aside more than three months of internal bickering and hand-wringing, narrowly approving efforts that take the first step toward removing popular Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who faces perjury and other charges related to explicit text messages sent to a former aide. WXYZ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2015696/posts#comment Wed, 14 May 2008 09:29:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2003420/posts Oprah Winfrey may have gone too far in exploiting and distributing the teachings of a questionable New Age writer. On Monday night, Winfrey conducted her weekly Web "event" seminar with New Age writer Eckhart Tolle. His message: "Life is the dancer and you are the dance." Got that? Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2003420/posts#comment Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:09:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001807/posts FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Republican Rep. Geoff Davis apologizing to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday after referring to him as "that boy." Addressing a Republican gathering Saturday night, the Kentucky lawmaker said, "That boy's finger does not need to be on the button." Davis was talking about political and national security issues at an annual GOP dinner. Davis' campaign said it sent a letter to Obama apologizing for the remark, which was widely reported on blogs and newspaper Web sites, including the Lexington Herald-Leader. "My poor choice of words is regrettable, and was in no way meant to impugn... bnd.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001807/posts#comment Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:38:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998898/posts Obama advance: 'Get me more white people' POLITICO Ben Smith From the account in Carnegie Mellon's paper, the Tartan, of a Michelle Obama event in Pittsburgh: While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. ObamaÂ’s event coordinators, who handpicked the crowd sitting behind Mrs. Obama. The TartanÂ’s correspondents observed one event coordinator say to another, “Get me more white people, we need more white people.” To an Asian girl sitting in the back row, one coordinator said, “WeÂ’re moving you, sorry. ItÂ’s going to look so pretty, though.” “I didnÂ’t know they... The Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998898/posts#comment Wed, 9 Apr 2008 12:00:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996628/posts A gang of British Muslims planned to blow up seven planes within hours in the biggest terrorist atrocity since 9/11, a court heard yesterday. Two thousand passengers would have died in the plot by eight fanatics working "in the name of Islam", the jury was told. It could have involved up to 18 suicide bombers. And they were almost ready to strike. The jets they targeted would all have been bound from Heathrow to cities in the U.S. and Canada, it was claimed. dailymail.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996628/posts#comment Fri, 4 Apr 2008 13:44:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992565/posts The Justice Department said Wednesday that Saddam Hussein’s principal foreign intelligence agency and an Iraqi-American man had organized and paid for a 2002 visit to Iraq by three House Democrats whose trip was harshly criticized by colleagues at the time. The arrangements for the trip were described in the indictment of an Iraq-born former employee of a Detroit-area charity group who was charged Wednesday with accepting millions of dollars’ worth of Iraqi oil contracts in exchange for assisting the Iraqi spy agency in projects in the United States. The indictment did not claim any wrongdoing by the three lawmakers, whose... new York times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992565/posts#comment Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:43:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988107/posts Spooner, WI -- A large explosion and fire at a chemical plant in Spooner, Wisconsin has injured at least 2 people. Witnesses say, several area fire departments are on the scene at the Cortec Corporation plant. The Spooner Health System tells KARE 11 the hospital is treating two people from the plant. Their conditions were not immediately made available. The Wisconsin State Patrol said it did not know the cause of the 8:43 a.m. explosion at the plant owned by St. Paul, Minnesota-based Cortec Corporation. Cortec vice president Anna Vignetti said the injuries are believed to be first- or second-degree... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988107/posts#comment Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:51:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985359/posts PARIS: Bernard Kouchner, the foreign minister of France and a longtime humanitarian, diplomatic and political activist on the international scene, says that whoever succeeds President George W. Bush may restore something of the United States' battered image and standing overseas, but that "the magic is over." In a wide-ranging conversation with Roger Cohen of the International Herald Tribune at the launch of a Forum for New Diplomacy in Paris, Kouchner on Tuesday also held out the hope of talking with Hamas, the Palestinian faction that rules the Gaza Strip but has been ostracized by the West and by its Palestinian... IHT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985359/posts#comment Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:32:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981271/posts (2008-03-05) — While the delegate count remains close in the Democrat presidential race after Sen. Hillary Clinton’s victories in Ohio and Texas yesterday, experts said the Super Delegates should all go to Sen. Barack Obama under a Democrat party formula designed to compensate for historic racial prejudice. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981271/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 14:22:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980343/posts In "Love and Consequences," a critically acclaimed memoir published last week, Margaret B. Jones wrote about her life as a half-white, half-Native American girl growing up in South-Central Los Angeles as a foster child among gang-bangers, running drugs for the Bloods. The problem is that none of it is true. Margaret B. Jones is a pseudonym for Margaret Seltzer, who is all white and grew up in the well-to-do Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley, with her biological family. She graduated from the Campbell Hall School, a private Episcopal day school in the North Hollywood... International Herald Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980343/posts#comment Tue, 4 Mar 2008 20:17:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980274/posts Melanie Morgan off KSFO airwaves © 2008 WorldNetDaily Melanie Morgan (courtesy San Francisco Chronicle) WND exclusive columnist Melanie Morgan, renowned radio personality, national conservative leader and co-author with Catherine Moy of "American Mourning, A Story of Two Families," has announced her departure from talk radio powerhouse KSFO 560 AM. Citadel Broadcasting, which owns KSFO, decided not to renew Morgan's contract as part of the company's announced across-the-board cost-cutting, and her last broadcast on the station was today. "It has truly been an honor for me to work at KSFO for the past 14 years. What I loved most about my... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980274/posts#comment Tue, 4 Mar 2008 17:51:19 GMT