Free Republic

A instrumental video of Christmas, the real reason for the season, is Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day and the all mighty, the Father of creation gave all power to His son Jesus, our Lord and Savior. The mandolin is played be me, o7jimmy.

Despite his proclamation that he "saved the world from a Great Depression," the fact is that Obama will be the first President ever to not see a single year of 3% GDP growth - but only cynical fiction-peddlers would mention facts at a time like this. In yet more legacy-defending narrative, Obama told The NYTimes today that his biggest failure was being unable to sell his success in putting the American economy back on track to the American people (no matter the actual realities) careful to blame Republicans for slowing growth "by a percentage point or two." And then in...

The man was standing alone, leaning against the wall in the still half-empty conference room that the Marco Rubio campaign had rented for the senator's "big" Tampa rally. It was only 15 minutes before start time, and people were only trickling in. "Are you a Rubio supporter?" I asked the 60-something gentleman. "No. I'm just here to see the train wreck." While in line 30 minutes before the event waiting (with only a couple of hundred other people) for the door to open, I heard several say, not that they had come to support Rubio, but that they were now...

How the Financial Meltdown Happened Al Kresta's "Finance Fridays" Audio-Podcast, Book & Movie Reviews. Ten interviews with business professor Dr. Max Torres, "tracing the spiritual, moral, economic & political undergirdings of the September 2008 financial meltdown". (This web page is necessary for hosting the interviews because the Ave Maria Radio podcast-archive system is very difficult to navigate.)Donate to Ave Maria Radio The Interviewer Al Kresta† The Expert GuestMax Torres‡ The interviews are now queued to start at the beginning of each podcast. No. Interview Date ShowTitle Author/DirectorBook Link/Movie Site BookMovie 1 9/10/2010 Architects of RuinHow big government liberals wrecked...

Prominent hedge fund manager Andy Hall got burned in July after oil prices crashed. Heading up Astenbeck Capital Management, Hall has made very large bets that oil prices would rebound, citing the unsustainably low oil prices and the rise of demand across the world, particularly in Asia. But July was a brutal month for him. His hedge fund lost 17 percent of its value, or about $500 million. Bloomberg profiled him and another notable trader, Pierre Andurand, who has taken the opposite position, arguing that oil prices will remain low for the next two years. And while Hall’s hedge fund...

Actors were once strapping hunks, thick-thighed he-men who had only to arrive at a film premiere to make everyone’s eyes bulge. These Adonises towered above lesser mortals and had their suits made specially for them because they were such muscular specimens. That’s the way things were when the likes of John Wayne (6ft 4in), Gregory Peck (6ft 3in), Charlton Heston (6ft 3in) and Clint Eastwood (6ft 4in) were in their prime. They were big men playing big characters, often on top of enormous horses or engaged in butch boxing bouts. Compare that with the recent Oscars ceremony, when our own...

Pope Francis marked the second anniversary of his election on Friday with yet another blockbuster media interview, this one with the Mexican network Televisa. One headline from the conversation with veteran Vatican reporter Valentina Alazraki focused on his expectations for a short papacy. As he has on other occasions, Francis hinted that he doesn’t expect to be around very long. “I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief … four or five years. I don’t know, even two or three,” he said. The pontiff called this nothing more than a “vague sensation.” “Maybe it’s like the psychology of...

Over the years– in part due to his refusal to appear on the Savage Nation– Rand Paul has been the subject of many a Savage burn: Michael Savage: Rand Paul is “the amazing shrinking candidate” (SNIP) Obama, they look the other way for years…now, all of a sudden, this fine man Paul– who is an ophthalmologist…that’s no good to the psycho sissies at the New York Times!

The House abandoned efforts to pass a bill to deal with the surge in migrants on the southern U.S. border Thursday. House Republicans, who had authored a plan to spend $659 million on humanitarian aid as well as additional border security and judges, failed to garner enough support among their rank and file to come up with the 218 votes needed for passage. They plan to adjourn today until Sept. 8, which virtually guarantees no action on legislation until after the August recess. Republicans had to pass the bill entirely on their own because no Democrats were likely to support...

For your zombie watching needs, here is a nice short film about a man trying to save his daughter during the zombie apocolypse. Cargo

For your dose of undead, here is a short film called Perished. A man is trapped in a shed after his girlfriend/wife turns into a zombie during the zombie apocolypse, and has to find a way to survive. This is different from a lot of zombie films in that the guy is pretty smart and resourceful, rather than making obvious mistakes. Still doesn't help him much, though. Perished

Being short can undermine one's quality of life, scientists have discovered. Scientists used virtual reality technology to reduce the height of volunteers travelling on a computer-simulated Tube train by 10in (25cm). The experience of being shorter increased reports of negative feelings, such as being incompetent, dislikeable or inferior.

A Covington police officer who arrested two referees during a high school football game in October, igniting a firestorm of controversy, has been suspended without pay for 10 working days and demoted from lieutenant to sergeant, Police Chief Tim Lentz announced. The officer, Stephen Short, must pass a fitness-for-duty evaluation before he can return to work, Lentz said. The disciplinary action is effective Monday (Dec. 30). In accordance with Civil Service rules, Short has 15 days to file an appeal to the Civil Service Board. Lentz and Covington Mayor Mike Cooper said in a joint statement: "When an officer uses...

"After Yelp (YELP) substantially exceeded the second-quarter consensus, the share price escalated by approximately 23%. The news was followed with several columns authored by skeptics who made great effort to draw parallels to the Internet bubble of the late 90s. In his column titled "A little Reminder of What Happened in 1999," Seeking Alpha contributor George Kesarios drew a comparison between the valuation of today's YELP and the castles in the air of that era, specifically Yahoo and Intel. Having long been a value investor first and foremost often put me on the short side of the market in the...

What's an FR enthusiast to d

(Reuters) - North Korea fired three short-range missiles from its east coast on Saturday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, but the purpose of the launches was unknown. Launches by the North of short-term missiles are not uncommon, but the ministry would not speculate whether these latest launches were part of a test or training exercise. "North Korea fired short-range guided missiles twice in the morning and once in the afternoon off its east coast," an official at the South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman's office said by telephone.

Even as the gargantuan $1+ trillion student debt load has been the bubbly elephant in the room that few are still willing to talk about (as the ease of obtaining very fungible loans, with ultra-low interest rates, have become the primary source of lifestyle funding for a wide swath of Americans who are rotating out of high yielding credit cards into this latest Uncle Sam subsidy, and is thus just one more aspect of the status quo perpetuation), there have been until now zero opportunities for a the proverbial highly convex "ABX" short in the student debt space. This of...

Some Trader Has Made A Very Big Bet That Something Very Bad Will Happen Within The Next 60 Days Sam RoFebruary 6,2013 CNBC Stocks have been rallying relentlessly to post-crisis highs. Meanwhile, the volatility index (aka the VIX, aka the "fear index") is near historic lows. But according to UBS's Art Cashin, some options trader has made an enormous $11.25 million bet that the VIX will explode higher very soon. And a rally in the VIX is usually accompanied by a drop in the stock markets. From this morning's Cashin's Comments (emphasis ours): A Very Big Bet In A...

"...The same principles can be applied with employees of companies in the maligned coal industry, or the latest cash rich sector defending against plunder - "Big Fast Food." Many are aware, including executives at McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), that the cash-strapped governments of states like California are seeking whom they may devour in order to support spending while tax receipts are declining. As we witnessed with "Big Tobacco", there is a viral effect from state to state..." This explains McDonald's flying flag upside down. "Big Fast Food WILL be an easy target for bankrupt states like Cali. Don't count on the...