Free Republic

Google Inc. is preparing to offer its high-speed fiber-optic Internet service in four new metro areas, the latest step in a careful expansion of the service. Google will announce launches of Google Fiber in Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Nashville, Tenn. in coming days, according to two people familiar with the situation.

The rifle is built to replicate the original in look, feel, and heft. The heart of the design is a .22 caliber receiver based on the design of the Ruger 10/22, but made of steel, not aluminum. The receiver is housed in a stock and hand guards made from real American Walnut.

NBC cited defence officials and said the charges could come against the soldier within a week. But Lt Col Alayne Conway, spokeswoman for Army public affairs, said no decision had been made yet in the Bergdahl case. She said: "We are aware of the inaccurate media reporting. To be clear there have been no actions or decisions on the Sgt Bergdahl investigation.  "The investigation is still with General Mark Milley, commanding general of Forces Command, who is reviewing now the Army's facts and findings to determine, impartially, any appropriate next steps and possible actions - which ranges from no further action to convening...

Delaware's Democratic Gov. Jack Markell has designated Feb. 12 as Charles Darwin Day in his state, to coincide with the explorer's 206th birthday, The Huffington Post reported. Darwin presented his theory of evolution in "On the Origin of Species," published in 1859. The Delaware proclamation was made at the initiative of Chuck Dyke, a member of Delaware Atheist Meetup. He put in a routine request for a special recognition through the website of the governor's office, according to Patheos, a site devoted to faith issues.Markell cited Darwin's discoveries as "the foundation of modern biology [and] an essential tool in understanding...

A transgender physician will soon become Pennsylvania's new physician general, the Washington Blade reported. Dr. Rachel Levine, an expert in adolescent eating disorders and behavior health, was nominated for the Commonwealth's highest medical post by progressive Gov. Tom Wolf. She made her transition from man to woman five years ago, and with her appointment will become "the highest-ranking transgender person to ever hold a position within state government," the Blade said. Levine graduated from Harvard College and Tulane University Medical School, and has practiced pediatrics and psychiatry for about three decades, PennLive reported. She has been a physician at Penn...

DENVER (CBS4) – A nationwide cellphone company distributing phones and cellphone plans in Denver as part of a massive government program says it is “outraged by the unacceptable actions” uncovered by a CBS4 undercover investigation. The response from Total Call Mobile comes nearly three months after an undercover CBS4 investigation revealed multiple examples of fraud and cheating in the phone distribution program. The Lifeline program is aimed at providing free cellphone service to the poor and needy. It handed out more than 13 million free cellphone plans in the first six months of 2014. In Colorado, the program handed out...

BOSTON - A veteran Celtic punk rock band has asked Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to stop using their music at appearances because they hate him. In a Jan. 24 tweet to Walker, Dropkick Murphys said, "Please stop using our music in any way ... We literally hate you!! Love, Dropkick Murphys." The tweet was in response to Walker playing their song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" as he took the stage at the Iowa Freedom Summit.

U.S. stock index futures furthered already steep declines after data had orders for U.S. durable goods unexpectedly falling in December, adding to a bearish view as corporate earnings disappointed. Earnings season is poised to gather steam this week, with some of Wall Street's biggest names lined up to report. Apple releases its earnings after the close on Tuesday, with analysts expecting the tech firm to beat consensus. Poor weather conditions have brought New York and other areas in the north-east to a standstill, however extreme forecasts have been downgraded, with some meteorologists predicting less snowfall than initially expected. The travel...

“Our views on this are well known,” said State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki during the daily press briefing in Washington, according to the official transcript. “We’ve spoken about them frequently publicly and have for years. We don’t make concessions to terrorists. That remains the case.” A reporter then said: “So you don’t make concessions to terrorists. But at the same time, was there not a prisoner exchange for [Bowe] Bergdahl?” Bergdahl, a soldier in the U.S. Army, was held captive by a Taliban-linked group in Afghanistan for nearly five years until May 2014. “Sergeant Bergdahl was a member of the...

West Coast dockworkers and their employers need to stop holding the economy hostage and sign a labor contract. Escalating the dispute with slowdowns is causing pain far from the docks, where an estimated $500 billion of cargo is handled annually between the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. The fallout from the severe congestion is reverberating across the United States. Retailers, meat exporters ... the list of businesses suffering losses due to the backlog at the port goes on and on. There are tens of thousands of peoples’ lives directly touched by the dispute but most people have no clue...

The pilot of a single engine Cirrus SR-22 aircraft that ran out of fuel is safe after ditching his aircraft 253 miles northeast of Maui, Hawaii Sunday.

Formerly the "Fans of Quinn and Rose Discussion" thread. We still hold out hope that our favorite talk show hosts will come back on the air - and all indications are that they will be, very soon! As we wait, our friendly group will still meet to start the day. So if you are preparing to go to work, are getting home from work - or happily retired - stop in and say mornin' and share the latest news, discuss the weather, share a recipe, or whatever!

Boreholes and a reservoir on former president Nelson Mandela’s farm in Qunu in the Eastern Cape have reportedly run dry, affecting livestock and the watering of plants at the family gravesite. The Daily Dispatch spoke to two sources who claimed Mandela’s farm has been without water since early January. Two cows have died in the last two months, and the gardens are no longer tended, including Mandela’s gravesite. There is no water for the plants and flowers next to his grave and these are dying, the sources stated. However, Mandela’s eldest grandson Mandla Mandela denied this, telling the Daily Dispatch...

They cancelled Hannity tonight for some dude that looks like a queen bee to tell me it's gonna snow in the northeast.

Here are a few of the basic items that you may want on-hand while in ‘survival mode’ during a winter snow-storm power outage situation. These are very minimal considerations, but they at least should provide a small amount of comfort inside your home, and will hopefully get you thinking about other items to have on hand.

A sports bar is a great place to watch the big game. But if you’re buying a TV for your Super Bowl party at home, Consumer Reports has complete buying advice. Its testers say a screen that’s at least 50 inches or larger is a good size for a crowd. Testers in Consumer Reports’ labs size up hundreds of TVs every year. Also important is a set that delivers a wide viewing angle. When you’re watching a big game with a crowd of friends, not everyone is going to get that great seat front and center. One of the concerns...

With polished silverware still in the kitchen drawers and outdated toiletries sitting on a dusty dressing table, these incredible photographs show a perfectly preserved home that was abandoned by its owners decades ago. From the retro patterned wallpaper to the well out-of-date food in the pantry, the dilapidated home in Ontario, Canada, is a remarkable time capsule. An urban explorer called Dave made the stunning discovery while he was looking at abandoned properties in his home province - and documented his findings on his website Freaktography.  'The sight upon entering this house was eerie, breath-taking and weird,' he said. 'There is...

In the United States, one in four women are victims of domestic abuse, which is why some abortion advocates argue that women need “safe and legal abortion care.” In fact, they believe that abortion is a life-saving option because pregnancy can tether women to violent men. Tragically, a recent example of this argument appeared in the article, “I Gave Myself an Illegal Abortion after My Boyfriend Forced Me to Get Pregnant.” A woman named Kaity shared that she had an illegal abortion after her abusive boyfriend forced her to get pregnant. She writes, “Shane didn’t like to use condoms. He...

Former Hollywood executive Cindra Ladd, the wife of “Braveheart” producer Alan Ladd Jr., alleges that embattled comedian Bill Cosby drugged and raped her in 1969.

WASHINGTON – As he walked up Pennsylvania Avenue on the northeast side of the Capitol Thursday afternoon, Dr. Anthony Levatino looked back at thousands of people behind him in the bright sunshine and felt a jaunty solidarity with his fellow marchers. “They never judged anyone. They never judged anyone with a deformity,” Levatino said, standing a few feet from the white marble steps of the Supreme Court. Forgive the overstatement. Levatino’s life has undergone a 180-degree change. Levatino was an abortion doctor. Now he is a pro-life gynecologist. Levatino said he is at peace with the transformation. Standing on a...