Free Republic

The accompanying photo shows two pieces of Fiesta ware produced by the Homer Laughlin Company of West Virginia: a Fiesta red saucer and an ivory bowl. In each case, uranium was used to provide the color of the glaze. Although the radioactivity of both is easily detectable, that of the Fiesta red is head and shoulders above the ivory.The Fiesta dinnerware line was introduced in 1936 with a choice of five colors: red, blue, green, yellow and ivory. Red was the first color that the company selected when designing the product, and blue was the second (these were the colors...

...By week’s end, I was more depressed about the financial crisis than I’ve been since last September. Back then, the issue was the disintegration of the financial system, as the Lehman bankruptcy set off a terrible chain reaction. Now I’m worried that the political response is making the crisis worse. The Obama administration appears to have lost its grip on Congress, while the Treasury Department always seems caught off guard by bad news. ... How is the political reaction to the crisis making it worse? Let us count the ways.IT IS DESTROYING VALUE During his testimony on Wednesday, Mr. Liddy...

George Stephanopoulos reports via Twitter that AIG's top three financial-products executives and several other officials resigned yesterday, giving the reason "fear for safety."

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is expected to announce that the government will become a partner with the private sector to purchase banks' troubled assets, according to people familiar with the matter. The plan for a so-called aggregator bank, a variation on a theme that Obama administration officials have wrestled with for weeks, is among four main components of Mr. Geithner's bailout revamp, which he is expected to announce Tuesday......

To reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them, Obama "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days." One of President Obama's major campaign planks was making government more open and accountable. It's a reaction to a habit in Congress of rushing bills through the House and Senate without giving people much opportunity to know what the bills would do. Indeed, sometimes members of Congress don't even know what's in the bills. So...

Mickey Kaus reports that according to a new Obama executive order: "when a government service contract expires—and there's a new contract to perform the same services at the same location—the new contractor has to keep the old workers." Because, according to the White House: The Federal Government's procurement interests in economy and efficiency are served when the successor contractor hires the predecessor's employees. A carryover work force reduces disruption to the delivery of services during the period of transition between contractors and provides the Federal Government the benefits of an experienced and trained work force that is familiar with the...

Widespread use of nanoscale silver will challenge regulatory agencies to balance important potential benefits against the possibility of significant environmental risk, highlighting the need to identify research priorities concerning this emerging technology, according to a new report released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN).

The bad news from USS NR this morning: Both Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney turned down the RNC chair job when I offered it to each this morning. (Aren't you glad to know it's mine to give away?) The good news: Mike Steele seems to be a frontrunner in the hearts of the crowd here.

Peggy Joseph speaking with NBC 6 about how she won't have to fill her gas tank once Obama is elected. As reported on the Schnitt Show.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A 400-bed isolation ward set up at the epicenter of a deadly outbreak of Marburg disease in Angola is empty, shunned by families loath to surrender infected loved ones, the World Health Organization said Friday. The U.N. agency said that as an emergency measure to stem the spread of the hemorrhagic fever it may distribute disinfectants to relatives refusing to send patients to its facility in the northern province of Uige. The outbreak, which began last October, has killed 215 of 235 known victims of the Ebola-like disease which is transmitted through bodily fluids including saliva and...

This book helps the reader to understand and mediate the debates that arise when gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, intersex, and queer/questioning students and their families ask for equal treatment from the schools and are opposed by conservative parents. Sexual Orientation and School Policy is a case study of one school districts' attempt to adopt and implement policies that include sexual orientation. This book describes the work of the Safe Schools Coalition who advocate and educate for equal rights for gay lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, intersex, and queer/questioning (GLBTIQ) students. Concerned Citizens, a group of conservative parents, opposed the inclusion of sexual...

Plant High Band Forbidden To Perform At Rally For President Bush By MARILYN BROWN mbrown@tampatrib.com Published: Oct 30, 2004 TAMPA - The Plant High School Panther band practiced Friday morning to play for President Bush's rally Sunday, but it was not to be. A parent rightly complained, school district spokesman Mark Hart said, and the gig was off. District policy says students can't be involved in political activities unless all candidates are invited. The campaign turned to private Tampa Preparatory School for ``Hail to the Chief'' and the national anthem, head of school Gordon McLeod confirmed late Friday. The 30-...

This is my first post, so go easy on me please. Apparently St. Petersburg is one of many local governments across the country that have decided they need to officially comment on National/International issues on behalf of their constituents. It has everything to do with partisan politics, and little to do with St. Petersburg directly. Below is a letter my husband and I sent to the St. Petersburg City Council chair, who opposes this politicking. My husband and I are new to political activism, so our letter could have been better, but we figured any letter was better than no...

TAMPA - The case against accused terrorist Sami Al-Arian just became harder to prove, though how much harder is under debate. Prosecutors must do more than prove that the former University of South Florida professor and his three co-defendants sent money or other support to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, U.S. District Judge James Moody said in an order released this week. They have to show that the defendants knew the money or support would further the PIJ's future terrorist acts. Moody said he didn't think his ruling made it that much more difficult for prosecutors in a "typical case." A...