Free Republic

BOSTON (Reuters) - Hedge fund managers are famous for betting against conventional wisdom, and this year many are doing just that by backing Democrat Barack Obama's White House bid and defying Wall Street's usual embrace of Republicans. New figures show the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has drawn $822,375 in campaign contributions from employees of hedge funds, compared to $348,300 for his Republican rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain. The figures, compiled for Reuters by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign finance research group, reflect mounting concern over the rising cost of health care and other domestic...

Many of Iran's claims related to missile tests during "Great Prophet III" war games -- appear to be smoke and mirrors! The missiles tested DID NOT not have 2,000-kilometer range, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to report on Saturday. Iran DID NOT launch a Shahab-3 missile, able to reach Israel. It was an older missile that was out of production, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE. And a video showing what appeared to be many missiles being fired -- is actually one missile, filmed from different angles! NYT's Bill Broad is planning to quote Pentagon officials and military insiders. Developing...

A Baytown businessman could hold the solution to the nation's energy crisis. The joke around the office at Sustainable Power Corp. these days is what Chairman John Rivera likes to call the, "Liars Club." Why? "Anyone you tell about this will call you a liar," he said. In an economy that has been held hostage by oil prices rapidly approaching the stratosphere, this Baytown-based alternate energy company has found a way to make substantial amounts of crude oil from farm waste. Now Rivera must convince potential investors that his trade secret - 21 years and $31 million dollars in the...

Analysis: Blame the dollar By Massoud Hedeshi, international development expert, in Vienna The US economic power horse is running out of ideas and cash as it jostles with a massive national debt, housing and financial crises, rising inflation, and a depreciating currency. This has all contributed to a growing tendency to live off credit amassed through petrodollars and foreign loans, leaving repayment for future generations. Today, in much of America, communities and suburbs are dealing with a drastic increase in foreclosures and short sales. This has not been helped by the fact that gas is selling at over $1 a...

<p>I think the Iraqis would support Israel taking out their arch enemy, Iran, and would allow overflights & perhaps even the use of airfields.</p>

<p>A North Korea soldier shot and killed a South Korean woman on Friday near a tourist resort in the North, a stunning incident that will test the two countries' relations after they have been fraying for several months.</p> <p>North Korean officials told the resort operator that the shooting occurred about 5 a.m. on a beach that it deems off-limits to the South's tourists. The shooting was the first in the decade since North Korea began allowing visitors to a resort at Mount Kumgang, a small range of scenic mountain peaks that's famous in both countries...</p>

MONTREAL — Using pretty women to sell beer is not exactly a novel idea, but Molson finds itself under attack this week for a series of calendars featuring scantily clad Quebec "goddesses." The idea was to highlight the most beautiful women from five Quebec regions, and auditions were held to make the selections. In some cases the winners received a trip to Cuba for the photo shoot. The images (which you can see here, and are only marginally safe for work) are for the most part no racier than what one would find in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition (Mind you,...

(DAYTON, OHIO) Barack Obama used a little bit of fear today to get his point across of the dangers of U.S. dependency on foreign oil. “The price of a barrel of oil is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the world,” he said at a town hall meeting on energy security. As the price of crude oil crept to $144.17 a barrel today, Obama said hostile nations could use oil profits to fund terrorism. “The nearly $700 million a day we send to unstable or hostile nations also funds both sides of the war on terror, paying for...

Last night, Mr. L’s attorney in the juvenile court reported to Home School Legal Defense Association that the juvenile court judge terminated jurisdiction over the two youngest L children in a hearing held on July 10, 2008. Mr. L is represented by Gary Kreep, who is the director of the California-based United States Justice Foundation, which has long been a close ally of HSLDA and homeschoolers in California. Two years ago, the children’s court-appointed lawyers had asked that the two children be ordered to attend a school outside the home. That request became the basis for the court’s February ruling...

DALLAS — What do "black hole," "angel food cake," and "devil's food cake" have in common? They're all racist terms, says a Dallas County, Texas, official. A county commissioners' meeting this week over traffic tickets turned into a tense discussion over race when one commissioner said the county's collections office was like a certain astronomical phenomenon. "It sounds like Central Collections has become a black hole," Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said during the Monday meeting. One black official demanded an apology, and Commissioner John Wiley Price, who also is black, said that type of language is unacceptable. At...

DALLAS — What do "black hole," "angel food cake," and "devil's food cake" have in common? They're all racist terms, says a Dallas County, Texas, official. A county commissioners' meeting this week over traffic tickets turned into a tense discussion over race when one commissioner said the county's collections office was like a certain astronomical phenomenon. "It sounds like Central Collections has become a black hole," Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said during the Monday meeting. One black official demanded an apology, and Commissioner John Wiley Price, who also is black, said that type of language is unacceptable. At...

Denver, Jul 11, 2008 / 01:55 pm (CNA).- John McCain is preparing to ramp up his efforts to reach out to Catholic voters with a “very, very aggressive” campaign, spearheaded by the newly created Catholic Outreach Coalition. Frank Donatelli, the Deputy Chairman of the Republican National Committee, spoke to reporters and Catholic media on a conference call this morning about the efforts that the McCain campaign is planning to reach Catholic voters. Donatelli described the Catholic Outreach Coalition, chaired by Sen. Sam Brownback and Frank Keating, as “first-rate” and said that it will be “very well-funded.” McCain’s Catholic campaign...

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will be using the National Council of La Raza convention, which begins tomorrow in San Diego, as a platform for courting the increasingly significant Latino vote. Convention organizers hope to press the senators for answers on some of the thorniest issues affecting Latinos, among them immigration policies and solutions to the nation's health insurance and mortgage crises. This week, as they prepared to participate in the four-day event at the San Diego Convention Center, some local groups said they were optimistic about what they would hear from the candidates and in convention sessions,...

Al Kresta, Catholic radio show host Ann Arbor, Jul 11, 2008 / 02:11 pm (CNA).- Mark Linton, director of Catholic Outreach for the Obama Campaign, refused to appear on a Catholic radio show to explain Obama’s views regarding abortion and address his accusations of supporting infanticide. The Detroit-based radio show, hosted by Al Kresta, founder of Ave Maria Communications and best-selling Catholic author, wanted to invite both Mark Linton and Deal Hudson, the director of InsideCatholic.com, onto his radio show.  Nick Thomm, the producer for Kresta’s show, explained to CNA, “[Linton] is the National Catholic outreach guy and he...

A consulting company manager left his newly adopted son sitting in a sport-utility vehicle in a Herndon parking lot for much of the day Tuesday, killing the 21-month-old child, police said yesterday. The boy, Chase, was adopted three months ago from Russia, police said. Miles Harrison, 49, of Purcellville was charged yesterday with manslaughter. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.... Herndon Police Chief Toussaint E. Summers Jr. said Harrison was supposed to take Chase to day care. Instead, Harrison drove to work, and Chase sat in the SUV outside the building, in the 500 block of...

I am back from travels in Old Europe and have survived in the pink. Readers of this column will recall that over the last three weeks I have been traveling through France and England. Add Scotland to the pilgrimage. In Edinburgh last weekend I participated in the unveiling of an Adam Smith statue, prominently placed near the top of this famous city's Royal Mile. Smith now overlooks much of this city in which he with other members of the Scottish Enlightenment thrived. He is often referred to as the founder of Economics. He certainly is the first advocate of free...

$10, 20, 50, 100 sure doesn't sound like much, but when you get a couple thousand FReepers sending it in, it adds up. Enough to pay the bills and keep Free Republic ON THE AIR--and kicking liberal butt!!

And now a fifth person has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Borough of Dickson City and members of the Dickson City Police Department over the “Dickson Dozen” incident. The plaintiff, Edward Kraft, Jr., of Clifford PA, seeks compensatory and punitive damages as a result of civil rights violations suffered during the police response to a call about a group of people peaceably eating dinner, some of whom were openly carrying holstered handguns. Kraft's action, filed in United States Federal District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, follows a similar lawsuit filed by four other patrons on...

NUTS TO YOU, TOO: Barack Obama prophetically appears to be protecting himself as he appears last year with philandering Jesse Jackson.

South Carolina’s top tourism agency has canceled an overseas advertising campaign targeting gay tourists. The campaign, tied to gay pride week celebrations in London, included ads that proclaimed “South Carolina is so gay.” A handful of other U.S. destinations joined the campaign, including Atlanta, Boston and New Orleans. After learning last week the state had agreed to spend tax money on the campaign — and spurred by a post on The Palmetto Scoop blog — the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism said Thursday it would not pay the tour operator. Parks, Recreation and Tourism director Chad Prosser said an...