Free Republic

The owners of a new cafe in Greensburg hope that the lure of coffee, along with the cuteness factor of cats, will help more rescue animals find permanent homes. Katelynn and Rob Jones are looking to open Cattfeinated Cat Cafe around October in the former Shalimar Bazaar at 159 E. Otterman St. Katelynn Jones is president of Wayward Whiskers Animal Rescue, a volunteer-run Greensburg cat rescue. The couple started the rescue, which is operated through foster homes, in 2015. “We are cat lovers and rescuers,” Jones says.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that if nuclear talks with major powers succeeded, the world would see that Tehran had solved its biggest political problem by negotiation and logical argument, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian news agency. "Even if the nuclear talks fail, our diplomacy showed the world that we are logical. We never left the negotiation table and always provided the best answer,” the Nasim news agency quoted Rouhani as saying in a meeting with artists. “Twenty-two months of negotiation means we have managed to charm the world, and it’s an art," the Iranian president added. The...

It’s week two of the president’s charm offensive, and already there is dissension in the ranks. Jay Carney, the occasionally charming spokesman for the newly charming president, began his daily media briefing Monday with a smile, a sunny disposition and a bit of percussion on the lectern. Bum-ba-da-bum-bum, he drummed with his hands. “Happy Monday!” began Carney, wearing a festive yellow tie and striking a casual pose. “Good afternoon. Thanks for being here for your White House briefing. Spring is here early.” But it was not long before the White House press secretary was back in his winter of discontent....

Women should use their "feminine charm" rather than trying to appear tough when negotiating with men if they want to secure the best deal, scientists claim.The researchers from UC Berkeley's Haas Business School and colleagues from University College London questioned 100 volunteers about how much they rely on charm when negotiating, and asked their partners how effective they were at negotiating.To gain the most positive results women should avoid making overt sexual advances but appear friendly, authentic and interested in the man they are dealing with, researchers advised.........They found that women who said they flirted more were judged by their...

After a year and a half of keeping Israel at arm’s length, the Obama administration has radically changed its behavior, now not only reaching out to the Jewish state but grasping it in a big bear hug. As with all sudden romance, the party being courted, Israel, is naturally suspicious of the intentions of its new suitor and is asking questions. What has changed? Why now? And how long will it last? Is this true love, or a fling that will leave Israel vulnerable, bruised, and heartbroken? The U.S. president, during his campaign and during his presidency, has always paid...

The two contrasting faces of President Obama in his relations with Israel and American Jews were on full display this week. On Thursday, Obama hosted some 250 Jewish luminaries and high-achievers at an elaborate White House reception to mark Jewish Heritage Month. The administration pulled out all the stops to make this a memorable, first-ever event.

An elderly man reads the Koran on the second day of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, at the Grand Mosque in Sanaa September 2, 2008. REUTERS/Khaled AbdullahThe President said: It is untenable for Israeli citizens to live in terror. It is untenable for Palestinians to live in squalor and occupation. And the current situation offers no prospect that life will improve. Israeli citizens will continue to be victimized by terrorists, and so Israel will continue to defend herself. In the situation the Palestinian people will grow more and more miserable. My vision is two states, living side...

...and it's offensive. Maybe not to those in Cairo and the Muslim universe, maybe not to anti-Americans overseas, maybe not to half the country who thinks like President Barack HUSSEIN (his decision- it's cool and hip to include, now) Obama, but offensive to myself and fellow conservatives who see danger in a president who doesn't defend America, but castrates it before the world. President Barack Obama waves before he delivering a speech in the Grand Hall of Cairo University in Cairo June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing Transcript of the "New Beginning" speech here, speaking at the Grand Hall of Cairo...

~ EXCERPT ~ Mr. Obama has made the U.S. popular in places like Montreal and Berlin, where our unpopularity never mattered much to begin with. But foreign policy is not about winning popularity contests. And woe to the president who imagines he needn't inspire fear among the wicked even as he embraces the adulation of the good.

Un jeune fille française raconte l'intrigue.A little French girl tells a story.

America, with its $645 billion hospitality industry, is increasingly seen as downright inhospitable by foreign travelers -- a trend that is worrying U.S. tourism officials and prompting them to come up with a charm offensive to lure international travelers. While the number of overseas visitors to the United States -- about 55 million -- is the same now as it was 15 years ago, this country's market share of all international travelers has fallen from nearly 10 percent in 1992 to 6.5 percent in 2005. The trend could damage this country's tourism economy, travel insiders say, especially in San Francisco,...

Chávez rolls into Damascus to charm another US foe Albert Aji in Damascus Thursday August 31, 2006 The Guardian (UK) The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, said yesterday he and Syria would "build a new world" free from US domination. "We have decided to be free. We want to cooperate to build a new world where states' and people's self-determination are respected," Mr Chávez said after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, at his presidential palace in Damascus. "Imperialism's concern is to control the world, but we will not let them despite the pressure and aggression," the...

SAUDI ARABIA has embarked on an unprecedented drive to open up to $1,400 billion (£795 billion) of its industries to foreign investment as it strives to scale back dependence on oil exports. The Kingdom, which is committed to lowering investment barriers as it enters the World Trade Organisation, has launched a $624 billion investment programme and has accelerated an $800 billion privatisation plan. Riyadh is already waging a charm offensive on Western businesses and is to encourage investment from 400 British companies in a roadshow this month. The Saudi Ambassador to the UK and a Saudi government minister are taking...

Is there more than a whiff of truth about Gallic charm? By Kim Willsher in Paris (Filed: 09/10/2005) It is one of the most enduring and insulting of national stereotypes: the Frenchman as a workshy character whose unpleasant body odours owe as much to his aversion to soap as to his love of garlic and onions. The French dismiss such talk as no more than cruel caricature, dreamt up by their beer-swilling, overweight and perfidious English neighbours. Now a leading French journal has produced figures suggesting that it may be closer to the truth than anyone – except perhaps rush-hour...

Who cares what the major media liberal spin says about Theresa Kerry's grossly condescending remarks about Laura Bush and stay-at-home Moms? The fact is that Heinz-Kerry regularly, repeatedly demonstrates such a lack of grace and charm that one is forced to admit that she would be a terrible representative of the United States. And don't feed us any nonsense about her not being an "elected official." As the wife of the president she would be in position to become an undeniable embarrassment. Her crude, colonial-elitist, and thoughtless remarks indicate what we'd have to endure with her in the White House....

With the US Federal Election Campaign in fully swing the polls are predicting a tight finish between George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry. Would you believe there has recently been a strong surge of support for Mel Gibson as President? This site has certainly been inundated with emails promoting Mel as the next leader of the free world. For those of you who don‘t know Mel Gibson is an actor (of Braveheart fame) who also happens to be an Australian citizen. He was however born in Peekskill, NY making him eligible for President. This situation isn‘t entirely without precedent...

First Lady Charms Toledoby Fritz Wenzel First Lady Laura Bush brought her Texas charm and White House rhetoric to Toledo yesterday, making a pitch for support of her husband's re-election effort to a crowd of 200, most of them female entrepreneurs. After touting advances made in federal tax law designed to help small businesses during her meeting at the downtown Radisson Hotel on Summit Street - using examples of how the Bush tax cuts helped local women build their businesses - she ventured down the street to meet Howard Pinkley, the owner of the small Flags Sales and Repair shop...

Rice turns on the charm to keep US allies loyal By Alec Russell in Washington (Filed: 15/05/2004) Condoleezza Rice, America's national security adviser, is appealing to Washington's allies not to panic over Iraq. She said the prisoner abuse scandal was being dealt with and that there was no alternative to backing America in its war against terrorism. Speaking ahead of her trip to Europe to bolster support for America's plans for Iraq's transition to self-rule, she said the scandal had been "a real shock, I think, to all of us to the American people, to members of the armed forces"....

Following the Governor's speech, "I Won't Back Down" piped through the gymnasium as volunteers pulled Dean signs off the walls. Sitting at the edge of stage--Joe Trippi, Steve McMahon and Paul Maslin. When asked what happened in New Hampshire, Trippi said, "I'm not talking to you." His response to why was "Because the media is a pain in the ass." The Dean team meets in Burlington tomorrow to come up with new strategies. According to the campaign, this is now a two-man race. Staffers say his message will essentially stay the same except that there will be more emphasis on...