Free Republic

"FedEx has changed the world by connecting people and possibilities for the last 50 years," Smith said in a statement. "As we look toward what’s next, I have a great sense of satisfaction that a leader of the caliber of Raj Subramaniam will take FedEx into a very successful future."

Casino executives in Las Vegas, NV., are deliberating certain ways to keep customers and employees safe once the gambling mecca eventually opens to guests, according to a report on Wednesday. Some of the informal talks have discussed safety measures that include putting masks and gloves on dealers, in addition to re-opening facilities nearby so employees and possibly tourists could get tested for COVID-19. Las Vegas would start by re-opening small businesses around the area so locals could start working again to alleviate economic hardships, according to Bloomberg. The casinos would operate with as few as one-third of its rooms available...

A large puddle of tar encroached on the sidewalk and natural gas appeared to rise from the street of the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles Friday. CBSLA’s Brittany Hopper was standing near the puddle located across the street from The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, a national natural landmark where tar has been seeping up from the ground for tens of thousands of years. But the tourists — like Rick Stahl from the Pacific Northwest — had one more story to tell when he gets back home. “We’re from Seattle,” Stahl said, “and you don’t see this oozing out...

Russia is deploying nuclear-capable Tu-160 Blackjack bombers to Venezuela this week as part of an increasingly provocative pattern of bomber training flights, according to American defense officials. At least two Blackjacks will fly from a strategic forces air base in Russia to Venezuela as part of a series of training exercises that will include long-range refueling, said officials familiar with Russian plans for the flight. The bomber foray to South America will be Russia's seventh training flight for Blackjack bombers in the past three months. Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon official and specialist on the Russian military, said Tu-160 flights...

Most U.S. reconnaissance craft are purpose-built monoliths that operate in geostationary orbit, about 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) above Earth. Though these singletons are extremely capable, they're expensive, typically costing $1 billion or more to build, launch and operate. And it takes a decade or so to develop each one, said Paul "Rusty" Thomas, of the Tactical Technology Office at the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The nation's current spy satellites, therefore, aren't terribly responsive to new technologies and new developments, and they represent "big, fat, juicy targets" to adversaries, Thomas said last week during a presentation with NASA's...

I got a quick question for those who visit casinos. A while back I had the pleasure of watching an experienced gambler play craps at the Orleans Casino. He rolled the dice for nearly 60 minutes strait before "sevening out". After the dust had settled, he made off with 35k in chips. FYI: At that time the table was packed, I wasn't into craps because my favorite game is BlackJack...so no, I didn't get into the action..darn it. QUESTION: How does one do taxes in this situation? Do you have to fill out a tax form at the casino when...

Russia’s upgraded Tupolev Tu-160M2 Blackjack supersonic bomber is expected to make its first flight in 2019. Moscow currently has sixteen of the original version of the Mach 2.0-capable bomber, which are the last surviving examples of the thirty-five aircraft built by the Soviet Union before its demise. Moscow hopes to build fifty new Tu-160M2 aircraft to upgrade its aging strategic bomber force. “I believe that in 2019 this plane, upgraded and manufactured, will make its maiden flight,” Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces told the Moscow-based TASS News Agency on March 2. Russia made the decision...

A Hollywood a-lister was banned from a Vegas casino for cheating at cards. Ben Affleck, Mr. Affleck is set to play Batman in the upcoming Batman v. Superman, and who starred in and directed the last year’s Oscar winning best film Argo, was allegedly caught counting cards while playing blackjack at the Hard Rock casino in Vegas.Unnamed sources told TMZ that hotel security approached the actor and told him, “you’re too good at this game.” Security then informed him that he had been deemed an advantaged player and would no longer be able to play blackjack at the Hard Rock.

Danielson, who died Thursday of dementia at age 83, wrestled for 23 years across the United States and beyond both borders. From Canada to Mexico, Danielson made several names for himself as a tag team terror -- primarily while partnering with his brother-in-law, Stan "Krusher" Kowalski. Born and raised in Northeast Minneapolis, Danielson joined the U.S. Navy for five years and returned to the Twin Cities. He got a job at the Flame, a Minneapolis nightclub, where he was discovered by a wrestling promoter. At 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds -- "back then that would be considered large," his son noted...

Border: As lawlessness spreads in Mexico, the governor of Texas speaks of sending in U.S. troops — a dramatic statement underscoring the fact that the region needs help and isn't getting it. Attending a conference of governors in San Diego on Thursday, Rick Perry startled some by saying defeating Mexico's cartels may require U.S. military intervention. "You have a situation on the border where American citizens are being killed," he told MSNBC. "I think we have to use every aspect of law enforcement that we have, including the military. I think you have the same situation as you had in...

STORNOWAY, Scotland, March 25 (UPI) -- The Ministry of Defense said two Russian Blackjack bombers were found in the skies above Scotland and were escorted out of British airspace. The ministry confirmed the March 10 incident involved a pair of Royal Air Force Tornado F3 fighter jets, which were used to shadow the Russian bombers until they departed British airspace, The Times of London said Thursday. Wing Commander Mark Gorringe applauded the response capabilities of the military in regards to the incident.

Blackjack - The events and characters depicted in this slide show are entirely fictional

Right up front I'm calling BS on this DUmmie FAIRY TALE about how his son got rich playing blackjack at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL (our Hollywood is actually more glamorous than that "other" Hollywood"). The title of DUmmie Billy Burnett's fantasy is "My son lost his job 4 months ago. Now, unemployed, makes more money than you can shake a stick at." And not only your humble correspondent is calling BS on his improbably story but even a lot of DUmmies are calling BS on it. Why? How about because his son's blackjack...

Capt. Marcus Melton, of Atlanta, commander of “Palehorse” Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, hands off a heater to a girl to take into a mosque during Eid gift giving in Baghdad’s Karkh District, Oct. 14. Photo by Spc. Robert Yde, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — To mark the end of Ramadan, Soldiers from throughout the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, took part in the traditional Eid celebration by handing out meals and gifts to residents in central Baghdad, Oct. 14. Eid is a traditional Muslim holiday observed at the...

Got 8 minutes? Check out this "top ten" from the stupid pile of stuff from this week. Check out the "Daily Kos" as the freshmaker, listen to Alec Baldwin ponder why doesn't have callers to his radio show, find out why DaVinci Code star Ian McKellen has "faith" in his movie - but not in actually inspired texts, see who Hillary Clinton now blames abortion on, and see for yourself how Chris Matthews earns bonus stupid points for encouraging Moonbat Congressman John Murtha to slander our troops as baby killers... all in 8 minutes on the MuscleHead Revolution V-Cast.

SACRAMENTO - Islamic leaders and peace groups are criticizing the California National Guard for a flier posted in its headquarters suggesting the United States should execute Islamic terrorists with bullets dipped in pig's blood to deny them entry to heaven. The poster attributes the practice to World War I General John J. Pershing. "Maybe it is time for this segment of history to repeat itself, maybe in Iraq?" the flier stated. It was posted outside a cubicle in the Guard's Civil Support Division. A second flier showed the wings and tail of a bomber forming a peace sign with the...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- One year after kicking its decades-long cigarette sponsorship habit, NASCAR apparently needs a little help staying smoke-free.  Nicorette gum became the first smoking cessation product to enter NASCAR when GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare signed a sponsorship deal Thursday with Chip Ganassi Racing.  Three of its quit-smoking products -- the gum, the NicoDerm CQ patch and Commit lozenges -- will be advertised on the rear decklid of Casey Mears' car for the entire season. Nicorette will also be the primary sponsor on the No. 41 Dodge for one race in a deal estimated to cost the company $3...

<p>The New Deal Carlos Serrao Blackjack is a simple game, but blackjack tables are fast becoming sophisticated hotbeds of surveillance technology. Casinos now monitor cards using invisible codes, track chips with radio-frequency tags, and scrutinize players through facial recognition software. The odds of winning are getting worse, too. Play at your own risk. 1. Spying on Players The second you walk into the joint, cameras record your mug and plug it into a facial recognition database. With thousands of electronic eyes scanning a casino floor, security can probably tell who needs to clip their nose hair. But they're looking for cheaters. When the database finds a match, a large fellow in a dark suit may boot the suspect. 2. Stacking the Deck A new technology from MindPlay reads invisible codes on cards as they're dealt from the shoe. The system knows, in real time, what players are holding and betting. Casinos can snare card counters by comparing their play with known counting strategies. MindPlay also helps dole out fairer comps because it tracks how much cash players drop. 3. Following the Money Conventional gaming chips are made entirely of plastic or clay. Newer chips in some European casinos conceal radio-frequency tags that make it easy to track inventory, betting patterns, and VIP status. A cashier can count 100 of the RF-tagged chips in seven seconds. So far, they're deployed solely in Europe, but US casinos will be on board this year. 4. Shaving the Odds A natural blackjack traditionally pays 1.5 to 1. But in recent years, casinos have discovered they can get away with lower payoffs - and players don't seem to mind. An ace plus that face card you just got may pay only 6 to 5: A $10 bet that once earned $15 yields only $12. Casino owners are laughing all the way to the bank.</p>

Four crew members are missing after a supersonic bomber crashed during a test flight in central Russia. Officials said the 1,250 mph Tu-160 Blackjack, designed to deliver nuclear and conventional weapons deep into enemy territory, crashed in the Saratov region, about 450 miles south-east of Moscow. No weapons were on board, said officials who blamed the the crash on engine problems. The plane was being tested following the replacement of one of its engines. "Just before the crash at 0730 BST, the crew informed ground control of an engine fire," an official said. "After that, contact with the pilots was...