Free Republic

Unemployment numbers only tell one side of the story: • Nationwide unemployment sits at 9.7 percent • 2 million unemployed workers could lose jobless benefits should the country hit the looming "fiscal cliff" • In 2012, average hourly pay has risen just 1.6 percent—short of inflation's 2 percent rise But it's the personal stories of unemployed Americans that resonate and offer insight into how joblessness affects us. To understand how unemployment truly impacts everyday citizens, Yahoo News is inviting unemployed workers, or those who consider themselves severely underemployed, to share their stories of looking for work.

Despite their weak candidate, Republicans increased their share of the presidential vote among many major demographic groups. Compared with 2008, they made significant gains among men (four percentage points), whites (four points), younger voters (six points), white Catholics (seven points) and Jews (nine points). Mr. Romney also carried the independent vote 50% to 45%. Four years ago, independents voted for Mr. Obama 52% to 44%. Republicans can take some solace from these gains. In addition, only 43% of voters this year said they wanted an activist government (compared with 52% in 2008), and 49% continued to disapprove of Mr. Obama's...

On Nov. 10 at 12:46pm, Fordham President Joseph M. McShane, S.J., released a new statement regarding the College Republicans decision to cancel the Ann Coulter event scheduled for Nov. 29 in light of recent student reactions. Below is the entirety of McShane’s message: University Statement | Ann Coulter Appearance Cancelled November 10, 2012Late yesterday, Fordham received word that the College Republicans, a student club at the University, has rescinded its lecture invitation to Ann Coulter. Allow me to give credit where it is due: the leadership of the College Republicans acted quickly, took responsibility for their decisions, and expressed their...

Is CBS Radio’s KPTK, Seattle the Next Progressive Talker to Flip? Seattle-based blog Blatherwatch (cool name!) is reporting the WYD Media-produced Stephanie Miller talk show indicated on Monday’s broadcast that CBS Radio’s KPTK, Seattle would flip from progressive talk after the holidays. No report on what the station may become and the report has not been confirmed by CBS Radio. If this comes to pass, it would be the second West Coast progressive talk outlet to recently shuck the format as Clear Channel’s KPOJ, Portland did Monday (11/12). It’d also be the second progressive talk station that’s been in the...

The federal agent who launched the probe that eventually led to David Petraeus’ resignation as director of the CIA was taken off the case indefinitely over the summer after his superiors became concerned that he may be personally involved in the case, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing “officials familiar with the probe.” The unidentified FBI agent still passed along his concerns to a member of Congress even after he was barred from taking part in the investigation, afraid that the case would be covered up. And while the FBI was looking into a number of harassing emails from Petraeus’...

Four African girls have created a generator that produces electricity for six hours using a single liter of urine as fuel. The generator was unveiled at last week's Maker Faire in Lagos, Nigeria, by the four teens Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, and Faleke Oluwatoyin, all age 14, and Bello Eniola, 15. So how exactly does the urine-powered generator work? •Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen. •The hydrogen goes into a water filter for purification, which then gets pushed into the gas cylinder. •The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which...

Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Psalm 73: 25-26HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

Several months ago, an ad hoc consortium of self-proclaimed millionaires, sent a letter to Obama, Reid and Boehner, demanding that "for the fiscal health of our nation and the well-being of our fellow citizens, we ask that you increase taxes on incomes over $1,000,000." This grass roots initiative was formed in the aftermath of Warren Buffett's, since defunct, proposal to impose a "millionaire tax" rule. Of course, back then, as now, someone actually did the math and realized what the impact of such as tax would be in the grand scheme of the next decade of deficits, as we reported...

--1980 Jimmy Carter, 56% Ronald Reagan, 35% +21 --1984 Walter Mondale, 61% Ronald Reagan, 37% +24 --1988 Michael Dukakis, 69% George H.W. Bush, 30% +39 --1992 Bill Clinton, 61% George H.W. Bush, 25% +36 --1996 Bill Clinton, 72% Bob Dole, 21% +51 --2000 Al Gore, 62% George W. Bush, 35% +27 --2004 John Kerry, 58% George W. Bush, 40% +18 --2008 Barack Obama, 67% John McCain, 31% +36 --2012 Barack Obama, 71% Mitt Romney, 27% +44

With just four minutes and a series of well-tied knots, Michael McDonnell saved himself and his Belle Harbor neighbors the night Hurricane Sandy hit. The experienced fisherman and surfer from the Rockaways fashioned a lifeline from electrical wire and twine to ferry a half-dozen people to safety from raging waters and fire. “You are only as good as the knots you make,” he said. Now McDonnell is hoping to take his experience to youngsters and others to help them figure out what to do if they have only minutes to evacuate their home — as he and others in the...

At least 140 people have been murdered in São Paulo over the past two weeks in an outbreak of violent crime that has prompted early school closures, a change of municipal bus routes and street demonstrations. In September 144 people were killed. The causes are manifold, but a major factor appears to be an undeclared war between the largest criminal militia and the police, which has led to drive-by shootings, ambushes and other killings. After initially denying the link, officials from the public safety department told local newspapers at the weekend that many of the killings of police had been...

British Muslims and other minorities should celebrate Christmas and the “politically correct brigade” should not interfere, a senior minister will say today. Baroness Warsi, Britain’s first Muslim Cabinet minister, will urge all minorities to “join in” with traditional British festivals. … The Conservative peer also discussed how she celebrated Christmas with her family and enjoyed carols. She insisted on sending out “proper, traditional” Christmas cards rather than “bland” multi-faith greetings. “Why not? White people celebrate Diwali and Eid,” she said. “And we all enjoy Bonfire Night.” …

There at at LEAST several million votes yet to be tabulated across the nation. At the timeof this post in CA alone there are around 3 million, in AZ around 400,000, many states across the nation are at 97, 96, 95 % of total votes reported short of 100%. http://www.examiner.com/article/three-million-votes-uncounted-california http://campverdebugleonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubsectionID=1&ArticleID=36491 http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/President/2012/ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/

A Hawaii-based company harvested fish for the first time from an unanchored drifter pen, that has been riding eddies in the open ocean 3 to 75 miles offshore of the Big Island of Hawaii. The harvest from the Velella Research Project completes the grow-out cycle of sashimi-grade fish in a method that Kampachi Farms says is more sustainable than fixed-location farms close to shore. "This final harvest far surpassed our expectations," said Neil Anthony Sims, Co-CEO of Kampachi Farms. "The fish thrived in the research net pen far from shore, with phenomenal growth rates and superb fish health... and without...

(WORDS on screen - AUDIO repaired) Long time radio newsman/commentator Paul Harvey created the original of this homily around 1965. It was updated as the years went by and therefore versions of it vary over time. It is a warning to America about its own decay. This audio has been corrected for proper speed and pitch and is good as I can make it at this time. Unfortunately, phasing and background noise persist.

Howie thread for the week starting off with his Sunday Boston Herald column. Howie is off his radio show tomorrow (McScreamer alert) due to Veteran's Day--Observed.

The Deeper Questions Behind the Ambassador’s Murder … and the CIA Boss’ Sudden Resignation While the GOP is attacking (and Dems defending) the Obama administration in connection with the murder of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, there is a deeper story. Sure, it is stunning that the State Department never requested backup or that people such as Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer allege that President Obama personally watched in real time the attacks as they occurred via video feeds from drones flying over the Benghazi consulate. But these claims only can be assessed – and the whole confusing mess only makes...

Some low-wage employers are moving toward hiring part-time workers instead of full-time ones to mitigate the health-care overhaul's requirement that large companies provide health insurance for full-time workers or pay a fee.Several restaurants, hotels and retailers have started or are preparing to limit schedules of hourly workers to below 30 hours a week. That is the threshold at which large employers in 2014 would have to offer workers a minimum level of insurance or pay a penalty starting at $2,000 for each worker. Pillar Hotels & Resorts this summer began to focus more on hiring part-time workers among its 5,500...

Ronald Kessler of Newsmax has more details on the Petraeus affair. They are rather sordid, and raise more questions about the timing of his resignation: [A]n FBI source says the investigation began when American intelligence mistook an email Petraeus had sent to his girlfriend as a reference to corruption. Petraeus was commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan from July 4, 2010 until July 18, 2011. The investigation began last spring, but the FBI then pored over his emails when he was stationed in Afghanistan. … Given his top secret clearance and the fact that Petraeus is married, the FBI continued...

Even by the standards of the friday afternoon news dump tradition, yesterday's news that Gen. David Petraeus had resigned from the CIA was a stunner. The most heralded military officer of his generation fell from grace after it was revealed he'd had an affair with his biographer. The affair was discovered earlier this year soon after the FBI began monitoring his email. This raises a very serious question. Who authorized the FBI to monitor the e-mail of the Director of the CIA?