Free Republic

Authorities in Winona are considering whether to charge a woman accused of grabbing a man by the genitals and yanking hard enough for him to need stitches. Deputy Police Chief Tom Williams tells the Winona Daily News the 54-year-old woman faces possible charges of domestic assault, third-degree assault and interfering with a 911 call. Officers were called Friday night to a domestic disturbance in Winona. Williams says the man pulled down his underwear for police and showed them a large tear on his genitals. Williams says the woman denied grabbing the man, telling officers he had cut himself. The man...

A 7-year-old Minneapolis boy had his dream come true when he went on a shopping trip with a star Minnesota Viking. However, that dream turned into a nightmare when his family's house went up in flames and his presents were destroyed. Stafonta Crenshaw had a chance to go shopping with Adrian Peterson through an event organized by The Boys and Girls Club. After those presents were destroyed, he had a second chance at a happy holiday thanks to Dicks Sporting Goods. "When we found out what happened to Stafonta and his family, we wanted to reach out to him and...

A Galt teen is back home for the holidays after the successful, seven-month-long treatment of a brain tumor that was only discovered after he made a dangerous mistake before school one day. He passed out and was rushed to the emergency room to be treated for alcohol poisoning, and a CT scan at the UC Davis Medical Center revealed a tumor in the brain of the unsuspecting eighth grader.

HAT CREEK, CALIF. -- The wide dishes, 20 feet across and raised high on their pedestals, creaked and groaned as the winds from an approaching snowstorm pushed into this highland valley. Forty-two in all, the radio telescopes laid out in view of some of California's tallest mountains look otherworldly, and now their sounds conjured up visions of deep-space denizens as well.

Next year could be a milestone for space exploration. The world's major spacefaring nations should be fleshing out plans for a new era of collaborative missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. And, finally, the UK - that ancient island of world explorers and landmark scientists - looks set to join them.

There was a lot of excitement last week about the discovery of a “waterworld” planet called GJ 1214b, as reported on Discovery News by my colleague Ian O’Neill. This world belongs to an emerging class of planets dubbed “super-Earths.” It is 6.5 times Earth’s mass and nearly three times our diameter. Its mass, diameter and density suggest the planet is largely a ball of water with and icy/rocky core.

NASA’s Centennial Challenges prize program, FAA’s Spaceports Infrastructure Grants initiative, and the new NASA Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research program (CRuSR) gained momentum after receiving funding in the NASA and FAA appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2010, passed by Congress and signed by the President last week. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation conducted advocacy efforts for these NASA and FAA programs as part of the CSF’s legislative agenda for this year.

Two Republican lawmakers and brothers jointly rescinded their backing of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for the U.S. Senate, using vague language to explain that they're out of the endorsement game. "We take our endorsements seriously, but the governor knows why we withdrew and he left us with no alternative," said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, speaking on behalf of his brother, Mario. Balart Chief of Staff Ana Carbonell told Fox News said the brothers aren't going to turn around and back Crist opponent, former House Speaker Mario Rubio, who has moved up in primary polls ahead of next year's vote

A 2-year old boy died this morning after being bitten by the family dog. Cape police, fire, and EMS were called to a report of an animal bite with injuries at 7:41 am in the 200 block of Southeast 45th Terrace. The dog, a Weimaraner, was confiscated by Lee County Animal Control.

Members of the Democratic Caucus Akaka, Daniel - (D - HI) 141 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6361 E-mail: senator@akaka.senate.gov Baucus, Max - (D - MT) 511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2651 Web Form: baucus.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm Bayh, Evan - (D - IN) 463 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5623 Web Form: bayh.senate.gov/WebMail1.htm Begich, Mark (D - AK) 825 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-3004 Web Form: begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator Bennet, Michael - (D - CO) 702 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5852 Web Form: bennet.senate.gov/contact/ Bingaman, Jeff -...

Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer now has Tiger Woods' back -- just days after turning its back on the golfer. The company -- which had previously said it was dropping Tiger Woods -- posted this photo on its website, tagging it with the message: "the partnership with Tiger Woods will continue ... but we will downscale the use of his image in certain markets for a period of time, depending on his decision about returning to professional golf." In other words ... it's all a matter of time.

Liberal reporter Ceci Connolly admitted to Greta Van Susteren tonight that Senator Dodd received a $100 million sweetheart deal from the White House in the Obamacare bill to help him with his re-election. It’s nice to know that our taxpayer dollars are helping to support this corruptocrat’s reelection, huh?

It was a metaphysical certitude the most biased television news network on the planet would be giddy with Politifact's announcement that Sarah Palin's "death panel" remark won the website's dubious honor of "Lie of the Year." And MSNBC sure didn't disappoint. On Monday's "Countdown," fill-in host Lawrence O'Donnell took on the issue by immediately labeling the object of his disaffection "Palinocchio" complete with a picture of the former Alaska governor sporting a large nose. Even less surprising was how O'Donnell, despite claiming the runner-up list was bipartisan, didn't mention that President Obama was on it (video embedded below the fold...

Looking for books for a present. My husband enjoys non-fiction books. He reads the conservative author's books, but really enjoys books more along the line of historical non-fiction, etc. Recent books he's enjoyed: The Real George Washington, The 500 Year Leap, Killing Pablo, and the book about Sheriff Arpaio (Toughest Sheriff...or something like that.) I'm heading out to buy some last minute presents, and thought I'd buy a couple books...any suggestions of books in that genre?

December 14, 2009, 9:30 am A ‘Big Salad Person’ Sets Up Shop in Harlem By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY For the decade that Milo Meed has lived in Harlem, he has been frustrated with the lack of healthy food. Watching his 11-year-old son, Danny, grow up, he grew even more concerned, as he noticed far more obese children north of 96th Street. For a few years, he tried to convince other businesses to fix this problem. As a consultant to local small Harlem businesses, he suggested that they open a restaurant specializing in salads. Then he reached out to more than a...

Child flown home by FedEx passes away By CELIA DEWOODY celiad@harrisondaily.com Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 6:07 AM Jada Harper, a little girl whom people in this community and across the nation had taken to their hearts, has died. The terminally ill child was flown home from Texas this fall on a special medical flight paid for by FedEx Freight so she could spend her last days with her family, Click image to enlarge CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Jada Harper enjoys a horseback ride last spring, before her illness was diagnosed. The seven-year-old daughter of Savannah and Jason Surface passed away at...

Epic sci-fi crap typically ain't my cup of tea. I get a lot of angry e-mails from people whose bottle of Mountain Dew it is. The notes are usually pretty threatening, as though me not liking something these people love is a matter of utmost importance. As though the fact some as***le with a web site doesn't care for what they do threatens the substance of their passion. My nephew Jimmy is one of these people. He is spurred to action only when someone insults the s**t he likes. Then, his first reaction is to insult whomever doesn't share his...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4yWyDkOSRo&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_r2-2r-2-HM Sorry Im not good at HTML. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4yWyDkOSRo&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_r2-2r-2-HM

My Car was parked in Scotts Valley Ca in the Kragens Parking lot. Even though the car was parked Separately far from any other vehicle someone rammed their bumper into my Drivers Side Door. it is a hit and run and there were no witnesses and I asked the shop owners but there are no cameras around. I just wanted to vent this is the second time I've had a car hit in Scotts Valley and they just run off. I've heard as well of kids being scraped off the road there due to incompetent drivers. Merry Christmas Happy New...

obamao 'salutes' America

I recently saw this group on Saturday Night Live play their song "Uprising." After reading the lyrics I thought about the struggles we face everyday with the Marxist thugs now in control of this wonderful country. The song title as well as the content of the lyrics (which I believe were written specifically about Congress) are timely. Please watch the video and post your comments.

Movie on TCM right now - About one man who has the courage to stand up and fight the corrupt political machine known as the US Congress. Where's our Mr. Smith?

Here is video of Laura Ingraham questioning Annie Laurie Gaylor the Co-President of the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" about their anti-God ad campaign...(Video)Some of the signs the foundation put up include billboards saying "Heathens greetings" and "Yes, Virginia...there is no God."

What a welcome event the release of James Cameron’s new film Avatar must be for scientists working on the question of exomoons — satellites orbiting extrasolar planets. Imagine being a Lisa Kaltenegger (CfA) or David Kipping (University College London), hard at work exploring exomoon detection and possible habitability when a blockbuster film is released that posits a habitable moon around a gas giant. The film’s exomoon, called Pandora, fits a scenario that exomoon hunters tell us could exist, orbiting a giant planet in the habitable zone of its star, and it draws public attention as never before to exoplanet and...

WASHINGTON — Fearful that the White House might scale back manned space exploration, a bipartisan group of lawmakers slipped a provision into a massive government spending package last week that would force President Barack Obama to seek congressional approval for any changes to the ambitious Bush-era, back-to-the-moon program.

IN Silicon Valley we have a saying: launch early, launch often. It’s an acknowledgment that successful, innovative companies are the ones that rapidly try new ideas, see what works, improve their products and repeat. Businesses that launch frequently are also able to take advantage of economies of scale to make launchings faster and easier. In many ways, the key to innovation is speed of execution.

The Obama administration appears set to chart a new course for U.S. space exploration by promoting the use of private companies to ferry astronauts into orbit, according to people familiar with the matter.

Why should humans go to Mars? Many reasons for and against have been cited over the years, and many still struggle to see the relevance of this priority. It seems so far out, so detached from life on Earth, and in many ways it is. Mars is physically hundreds of millions of kilometers away. It is colder than the coldest environment on Earth and it has an atmosphere—or lack thereof—that would kill you within thirty seconds or do in a most unpleasant fashion. Compared to terrestrial destinations it loses hands down. However, we need to look at Mars in a...

Although the Augustine Commission did not offer up “recommendations” – it is clear they want NASA to focus on moving beyond low earth orbit – creating some space – if you will – for entrepreneurs to boldly go where only the government has gone before.

But just what kind of candle will U.S. astronauts be strapped onto in the post space shuttle era? NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden dropped into the White House the other day – and met with the President Obama to talk about what is next for the space agency.

I know, Rats lying in this debate is fish in a barrel, but I thought this one especially egregious. Amy Klobuchar is one of the dimmer bulbs in the Senate. She claimed yesterday to Chris Wallace in response to a question about the broad unpopularity of this bill, that Medicare was even MORE unpopular when it was passed, with only 28% supporting it. This struck me as pretty far fetched, given the lopsided vote for it. Sure enough, she had the numbers exactly transposed. Stupidity or mendacity? You decide.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles coroners will perform an autopsy on Monday on actress Brittany Murphy as speculation mounted that anorexia may have played a part in her sudden death one day earlier at age 32. Police and coroner's officials said no foul play is suspected in the actress's cardiac arrest Sunday morning in the bathroom of her Hollywood Hills home. Assistant Coroner Ed Winter said initial reports showed the "Clueless" actress's death may have resulted from heart-related causes but said the autopsy would include toxicology tests. Results will not be known for six to eight weeks. Celebrity website...

Sen. Reid goes to a local GM dealer in Washington, D.C. with the intention of buying a brand new vehicle. Harry looks around and finds one he likes. After going back and forth with the salesman, Harry settles on a price of 45,000. Harry and the salesman go back to the office to complete the paperwork. Harry works out a 4 year payment plan, and signs on the bottom line. The salesman shakes Harry's hand and says, "Thanks Senator Reid, the car will be ready for pickup in 4 years." Harry says, "What are you talking about? Where are the...

  MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - A Memphis attorney has admitted to biting off part of a man's nose during a confrontation at a popular Midtown restaurant.According to a lawsuit filed by Greg Herbers, Mark Lambert bit off and swallowed part of his nose during a dispute last June at Dish on South Cooper Street.Lambert is a trial attorney with the Cochran Firm.      The incident at Dish began in the men's room when Herbers became annoyed because the urinal and stalls were occupied.Herbers says two men were together inside the same stall. He says Lambert carried on a conversation with...

While the big gun media and American Secret Service are out there investigating “party crashers” Tareq and Michaele Salahi, no one’s telling the truth: Obama knew the Salahis when he was still an Illinois senator. Polo Contacts Worldwide could make it easy for the investigating Secret Service by brown-enveloping them this picture .... Interesting little detail for White House gumshoes: As the above photo was published in June 2005, Barack Obama was still Senator Obama and not the President Elect. And with Michaele Salahi yesterday having been caught out—Facebook pompoms notwithstanding—as a bogus cheerleader for the Washington Red Skins and...

No wonder Jesus said of himself, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). Without Him, all else is darkness.

Hundreds of people in Southwest Michigan claim to have seen cougars. Michigan Citizens for Cougar Recognition, a group started six years ago by local attorney and Van Buren County Commissioner Denise Noble, has catalogued nearly 200 cougar sightings in Allegan, Van Buren, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties. Add in Barry, Cass and Berrien counties, and total cougar sightings reported in Southwest Michigan jump to 412. Allegan County had the third highest number of reported cougar sightings in the state, with 62. Van Buren County came in fifth, with 58. Kalamazoo County was seventh in the state, with 54. Noble said...

Democrats will have 10 votes to give to on the final vote. So who will vote "no" after voting "yes" on cloture? Nelson? Lincoln? Bayh? Webb? Landrieu? Dorgan? The Dingy One himself?

Money Quote:The dangerous idea that the democratic accountability of national governments should simply be dispensed with in favour of "global agreements" reached after closed negotiations between world leaders never, so far as I recall, entered into the arena of public discussion. Except in the United States, where it became a very contentious talking point, the US still holding firmly to the 18th-century idea that power should lie with the will of the people

The mountains shall labor, and what will be born? A stupid little mouse. Thanks to hundreds of thousands of US citizens who contacted their elected representatives to protest about the unelected, communistic world government with near-infinite powers of taxation, regulation and intervention that was proposed in early drafts of the Copenhagen Treaty, there is no Copenhagen Treaty. There is not even a Copenhagen Agreement. There is a “Copenhagen Accord”. The White House spinmeisters spun, and their official press release proclaimed, with more than usual fatuity, that President Obama had “salvaged” a deal at Copenhagen in bilateral talks with China, India,...

Need help identifying the following snow tracks: This is the third time I have found some strange animal tracks on my land. I live in western pa, 25 miles from Pittsburgh in the land of murrymom. The area is rural on the edge of suburban development. These tracks I photographed (iPhone) while snow blowing. The gate is 6 to 8 feet and the single track may be a double paw print. The single track is larger than my hand. The tracks entered my property near a wood pile (breaking a five wire electric fence) and traveled over two hundred feet...

THE BOOB TUBE: .....Sharp introduced the first AQUOS liquid crystal television in 2001 (it came to Canada in 2002). I don’t know this offhand, by the way — I learned it in an information session I attended on Sharp’s new AQUOS LE700 series of LED backlit flatscreen televisions a few months ago......

Hollywood actress Brittany Murphy has reportedly died in Los Angeles. Murphy, 32, went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, entertainment website TMZ reports. An emergency call was made about 8am Sunday morning (3am today AEDT) from husband Simon Monjack's home, the Los Angeles Fire Department was quoted as saying. She was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but pronounced dead on arrival. Murphy was born in Atlanta and began acting as a young teenager in a series of television appearances. Her breakthrough role was in the 1995 teen hit Clueless alongside Alicia Silverstone. She went on to...

Must See- this video says it all!

Exactly what is NATO doing in Afghanistan? And exactly what are the NATO countries doing in Iraq?

Back in May I wrote an article that asked the question, "Was Jesus A Socialist?" As I wrote in the article it is my understanding of the Scriptures, and of God's many rules and regulations to the Israelites, that Jesus was a capitalist. Thus I believe if He were walking among us and actually voting in our elections today, He would most certainly be a conservative capitalist. Ok, so now we find ourselves at the doorstep of Christmas and unfortunately more children have probably heard of Santa than have heard of Jesus. So in the spirit of the season, and...

Can ObamaCare (if passed) subsequently be undone by legislation passed later? After all, it doesn't go into effect until 2014 although the public will be heavily taxed for it much earlier. The Prohibition Amendment was later undone by a later Amendment and this is legislation we are talking about. I recently read that the WORST thing that could happen for the Democrats is to pass ObamaCare. This is sure to be an issue in the 2012 election. Could another president, along with a conservative congress, undo ObamaCare?

For the first time, three Al-Qaeda operatives have been arrested and charged with drug trafficking as a means of raising funds to support their terrorist activities. The international terror group has increasingly been turning to this form of activity, although its spread to Africa is a new twist in the pattern, according to evidence gathered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The agency has long been concerned about the group’s ties to the heroin trade in Afghanistan – but according to DEA director Michele Leonhart, the current case reveals a “direct link” between the terror group and drug traffickers...