Free Republic

The 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition Kick off will take place on January 8th, 2011 at 10:30AM EST. The Kickoff will be aired on NASA TV!

When the citizens of Washington, D.C., shot themselves in the foot, doomed their children to another decade of hopelessness in education, ousted their current mayor, it also meant that Michelle Rhee was going to be looking for a new job. And the feisty reformer could have had her pick of jobs. Mayors and governors across the country were falling over themselves, trying to nab the woman who had stood up to unions to create a better system. There easily could have been a bidding war to land this trailblazer to head their education departments. Or Rhee could feasibly have chosen...

The first family should publicly submit to the new scanning device and "enhanced" pat-downs before requiring Americans to do the same, suggested rumored Republican presidential hopeful and ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee while blasting President Obama this morning over controversial new airline security measures.(snip) "'If it's OK for your wife, your daughters, and your mother-in-law, then maybe the rest of us won't feel so bad when our wives, our daughters and our mothers are being put through this humiliating and degrading, totally unconstitutional, intrusion of their privacy.'"

NEWARK, N.J. — Michelle Obama will discuss school nutrition and childhood obesity during a visit to New Jersey's largest city. Michelle Obama will be joined by Newark Mayor Cory Booker and will hear from students at the city's Maple School in Thursday.

The question is — be honest — where will the money come from? Government is chock-full of programs many people view as worthwhile — until the cost is added up. Then, many taxpayers decide priorities need to be set. That is why liberals in government have become adept at concealing the cost of social programs. One example is currently in the news. First lady Michelle Obama insists that healthier foods should be served in public school lunches. That will require a new $4.5 billion program, say the program's proponents. The federally funded school-lunch program feeds 31 million low-income American children...

  The First Friday Devotion in the Catholic Church History of First Friday First Friday devotions among Catholics are related to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ. First Friday practices date to the last decades of the 17th century, when Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary and spoke to her of His Sacred Heart. Among the promises Our Lord revealed to St. Margaret Mary, the 12th specifically referenced practices for Fridays:In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the...

Christie Reform Agenda Restores Fiscal Discipline and Ends Abuse of Property Tax Dollars, While Keeping Money in the Classroom Where It Belongs Trenton, NJ – The Christie Administration today announced it is moving forward with a comprehensive plan to enact fiscal discipline and promote the prudent use of scarce property tax dollars by capping salaries for superintendents. The regulations, announced in July, will result in a salary reduction for more than 360 school superintendents who serve school districts with low numbers of students. “In these difficult economic times, when fewer resources are available for our schools, it is not acceptable...

Israel’s version of the Tea Party movement held its opening rally on Sunday evening. Several dozen people attended the event which was held the at Zionist Organization of America house in Tel Aviv. The new grassroots effort is modeled after the American conservative social movement and has promised to be just as patriotic, provocative and antagonistic to United States President Barack Obama. Former Likud MK Michael Kleiner, one of the rally’s main organizers, explained that the purpose of the Tea Party movement is to send a clear message to Obama that he should not force Israelis to go against their...

Texas Rangers Notch First World Series Win October 30, 2010 8:55 PM ARLINGTON (AP) – Mitch Moreland hit a three-run homer in the second inning, Josh Hamilton added a solo shot in the fifth and the Texas Rangers beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2 on Saturday night to close to 2-1 in the World Series. With former President George W. Bush watching from a front-row seat, winner Colby Lewis allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2-3 innings. Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for the save, completing a five-hitter. Down 4-0, San Francisco came back on solo home runs...

Obama's Ninety First Week in Office"The List" for 10/21/2010 "Obama: You know who’s a pretty good president? MeVIDEO: Obama says health care reform critics don’t have problems with its provisions, but with the idea of a “government takeover" ... Obama revisited attacks on his health care law on Thursday, arguing that some of his critics don’t have problems with its provisions, but with the misconstrued idea of a “government takeover.”VIDEO: WH's Jarrett: "We Completely Understand" Anger.... At Bush"Obama headlines Google fat cat fundraiser; crickets chirp over Google’s $60 bil tax avoidanceRescuing mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost...

Obama's Eighty First Week in OfficeThe List" for 8/12/2010   Obama signs bill that requires Texas to maintain education spending to receive federal fundsObama begins move to the middleObama Administration tries to silence the citizen soldier: Military voting rights still aren't protected. That's the message from former Justice Department official M. Eric Eversole, who argues in a column at the front of this section that his former employer is undermining the new law requiring states to mail ballots to military voters at least 45 days before the November elections.Obamas announce fifth vaction since JulyThe U.S. government's $700-billion Troubled Asset Relief...

First Lady Michelle Obama took a lot of grief for her decision to vacation in Spain last week, a glitzy getaway that prompted one New York Daily News columnist to liken her to Marie Antoinette. But now we're learning more about the trip, which, despite the furor over its alleged excess, seems to have been launched with good intentions. According to the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet, the first lady made the trip because she wanted to spend time with her best friend, Chicago physician Anita Blanchard, who lost her father this summer. Blanchard (who is married to President Obama's best...

Relations Upgraded to Full Diplomatic TiesVATICAN CITY, JULY 27, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Antonio Mennini, until now the Pope's representative to the Russian Federation, is now the Holy See's first apostolic nuncio to the country, the Vatican is reporting. The archbishop presented his letters of credence to Foreign Affairs Minister Sergej Lavrov on July 15 in a ceremony that was followed by a "cordial" meeting, reported the Vatican press office. Last December, Benedict XVI and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to upgrade relations between the two sides to full diplomatic ties, which raises the level of representation to apostolic nuncio and...

After all that criss-crossing the country fundraising for Democrats, he needs a vacation...So far a private bike ride, a personal tour of Cadillac mountain, a stoll though the lower pathway, a trip to get ice cream followed by a boat tour, then off to dinner (I guess it's time rest after plugging the d*mn hole)....Photos

The Kepler space telescope seeking Earth-like planets in a far-off region of the Milky Way has discovered more than 700 planetary "candidates" - some that just might be the right size and in the right places for life to be possible.

After meeting with wounded Marines, first lady Michelle Obama told thousands of troops and their families Sunday that she is launching a national challenge to Americans to find ways to support them. Since her husband took office, Obama has been visiting bases across the country as part of her mission to improve the quality of life for military families. She called Camp Pendleton and the surrounding Southern California cities a model for community support of troops. But California Republicans called the event a publicity stunt to help Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who is running for a fourth term and has...

Obama's Seventy First Week in Office .Sestak-Gate (updated file)The List" for 6/3/2010 Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said he and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel discussed how to persuade Rep. Joe Sestak (Pa.) not to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2010 Democratic primary.Obama's new healthcare law reportedly doesn't allocate nearly enough money to cover the estimated 5.6 million to 7 million Americans with pre-existing medical conditions who will qualify for temporary high-risk insurance pools An analysis by the Center for Studying Health System Change found that the new law “could leave hundreds of thousands of potential participants...

The world’s first gold bar vending machine has been unveiled at Emirates Palace. The Gold To Go machine, itself covered in 24-carat gold, dispenses one, five and 10 gram bars as well as one ounce bars of gold, the National reported on Thursday. Six gold coins of varied weights and engraved with symbols of gold-producing nations Canada, Australia and South Africa, are also dispensed by the machine. About AED175 will buy a one gram bar, AED760 a five gram bar and AED4,645 an ounce, the paper reports. “It brings gold to the public,” Thomas Geissler, the chief executive of Ex...

WASHINGTON — Critics who allege that Congress overstepped the U.S. Constitution by requiring Americans to carry health insurance are "flatly wrong," the Obama administration said Wednesday in its first court defense of the landmark health care law. Congress acted well within its power to regulate interstate commerce and to provide for the general welfare, Justice Department lawyers argued in a 46-page brief filed in federal district court in Detroit. For the courts to overturn President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation would amount to unwarranted interference with the policymaking authority of Congress, they added.

Michelle Obama Says U.S., Mexican Governments Can do More to Tackle Drug Issue- On a visit to Mexico, first lady Michelle Obama said today that in despite recent drug-related violence along the U.S. border, Mexico is still a safe country for Americans to travel with their families and said she hopes to bring her daughters south of the border for a visit.