Free Republic

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the front-runner to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, according to online oddsmakers. Despite a slew of negative press this fall about Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) running mate, online gaming site Superbook.com puts Palin’s odds at 3.5-1, the best among Republican hopefuls. Other top GOP contenders include former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose odds are set at 4-1, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, at 5-1. Former Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), who is now governor of Louisiana, has a 6-1 shot of claiming the nomination. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford...

McCain has gone from 35% to almost 54% in short period of time!!!!

Massive swing in Mccain's favor...

Twins with different skin colors — one black and the other white — have been born in Berlin, Germany. The twin boys, named Ryan and Leo, are the offspring of a mixed-race couple

LONDON - A lucky gambler has made 1 million pounds, or about $1.97 million, from a 50 pence ($1) bet, British bookmaker William Hill said Saturday. The man, who William Hill has not identified, correctly guessed the outcome of eight horse races Friday, beating odds of two-million-to-one. He walked into a William Hill branch in the north England town of Thirsk and placed wagers on eight horses in eight different contests in a so-called “accumulator bet,” the company said. His first win came when a horse called “Isn’t That Lucky” won the 2:55 p.m. race at the Sandown track, southwest...

Online oddsmakers have Ron Paul in a comfortable third place finish among bettors in both the Republican Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire primary. While third place may not be as good as an outright win, it's good enough to boost momentum for Ron Paul heading into future primaries where his treasure chest for advertising totals upwards of $20 mil. Many of the 2008 US Republican Presidential candidate's supporters believe that once voters realize Paul is a formidable candidate, finishing among the top 3, more Americans are likely to vote for him. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney were in a...

Pvt. Dimitri Johnston, Platoon 3254, Company L, came to America from Russia in October 2002 after being adopted by a family in Michigan. His decision to join the Marine Corps came only five years after his arrival to the United States. Pvt. Dimitri Johnston beat the odds by escaping an abusive home in Russia, coming to the United States and joining the Marines. MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Nov. 30, 2007) -- Forced to fend for himself when his parents were no longer up for the challenge, Pvt. Dimitri Johnston, Platoon 3254, Company L, was exposed to the...

All bets are on Fred Thompson, well at least enough to push Rudy Giuliani from 3-1 to 5-1, thus no longer making the one time New York City Mayor a favorite. This announcement from Sportsbook.com comes in conjunction with the slashing of Ron Paul odds from 8-1 to 6-1. Fred Thompson opened with 4-1 odds even before his Presidential candidacy was officially announced, however, this is the first time that Giuliani is not listed as the favorite. John McCain remained with 5-1 odds and Mitt Romney sat with 8-1 odds. McCain is believed to have enjoyed early action at Sportsbook.com...

Retail owners in Atlantic Canada have been winning lotteries at rates 10 times higher than their statistical odds, confirms a review by the lottery corporation in the region. "Can I statistically explain why retail owners are winning 10 times more? No, I can't," said Mike Randall, vice-president of social responsibility for the Atlantic Lottery Corp. He added that he has not found evidence of wrongdoing, despite the higher than average win rates. "If I had any evidence of wrongdoing, I can tell you that those retailers would no longer be retailers, we would take decisive action," he told reporters Wednesday....

The New York Mets have a 60 percent chance of taking the the National League Championship series, with a 24 percent chance of clinching the deal in six games, said Bruce Bukiet. Bukiet, an associate professor of mathematical sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), offers new picks for winning teams based on a mathematical model he developed in 2000. More picks include: A 40 percent probability of the St. Louis Cardinals making it to the World Series with a 19 percent chance of winning in seven games. In the American League, the Yankee-slaying Detroit Tigers have a 58...

American Idol Odds Posted2/18/06 Online Sportsbook Posts First Odds on Hit Reality TV Show WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The country's largest talent search has been narrowed down to 24 contestants as the latest edition of American Idol has reached the semi-final round. The popularity of American Idol has never been more apparent as the show has catapulted to the top of the ratings, drawing nearly 30 million loyal viewers. Also a hit with online bettors, today PinnacleSports.com became the first established bookmaker to offer odds on who will win the latest edition of the hit reality series. The...

NEW YORK, NY, May 24 /PRNewswire/ - Sportsbook.com has released odds on who will win the Miss Universe competition, which will be televised live by NBC on May 30 from Bangkok, Thailand. Eight of the top ten favorites according to odds makers come from the Caribbean and the Americas, led by Renata Sone from the Dominican Republic and Cynthia Olavarria from Puerto Rico, both listed at 12-1. The US delegate, Chelsea Cooley from Charlotte, North Carolina, is a 25-1 favorite.

Between the banquet hall and the overflow room, Hillary Clinton will draw more than 2,000 people Friday night to Madison's Monona Terrace - an event that sold out before a single invitation was sent. That's a hot ticket. The 2008 election is more than three years away. But if you have strong feelings about Hillary Clinton (as many do), you don't have to wait. You can donate to "Friends of Hillary." You can sign up to "Stop Hillary." You can follow her ups and downs in the polls with the "Hillary Meter." You can shell out $50, as 800 people...

WASHINGTON - The federal drug safety agency is doing a "spectacular job" of protecting the public, the White House chief of staff said Sunday. The assessment drew an immediate outcry from a Senate critic who charged that government oversight under the Bush administration has proved "a catastrophic failure." The debate about the effectiveness of the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) comes days after the agency began advising doctors to consider alternatives to Celebrex, the leading arthritis painkiller, for their patients. A study had shown that the Pfizer Inc. medication increased the risk of heart attack and strokes...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have beaten back ballot measures aimed at expanding gambling in California, but he hasn't succeeded in striking deals with a majority of casino-owning American Indian tribes to share revenue. After the divisive election, the governor and tribes remain in a standoff, with neither side willing to be the first to head to the bargaining table. The tribes are still bitter over Schwarzenegger's campaign remarks that they were "ripping off" the state. Their demand for an apology has gone unanswered. "Let them come to me and negotiate," Schwarzenegger said soon after the election,...

http://jaycost.blogspot.com/2004/11/poll-update.html Probability of Best Path for Minimal Bush EV Victory (NM, FL, WI): 91.4% Probability of Best Path for Minimal Kerry EV Victory (PA, OH, FL): 0.2% Analysis: I cleaned out all the old polls (i.e. those released before 10.27) and, lo and behold, it would seem that Bush now has a lead in PA! His lead in OH has strengthened, and his lead in FL, IA, WI remain strong. I still maintain that (A) PA is the true toss-up in this race; (B) Minnesota will be the dark horse Bush victory. Also, to correct my predicted EV score, it...

The bookmakers who correctly tipped the outcome of the recent Australian election - when the polls said it was "too close to call" - have George W. Bush as a clear favorite for next week's presidential poll. Centrebet Australia has declared the President a $1.43 favorite, with John Kerry taking up the rear of the field at $2.60.

OSLO, Norway (AP) - The odds of U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) or British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) winning the Nobel Peace Prize look about as grim as those for Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites), who's standing trial for war crimes - about 1,000 to one, bookmakers said Tuesday as the buzz over the prestigious prize begins. Instead, Norwegian Nobel-watchers and bookmakers think the odds-on favourite for this year's prize - to be announced Oct. 8 in Oslo - are people or groups who have led efforts to stifle the...

Huge moves recently. It was 5/6 Bush or .88/1,now its 4/6 and .69/1 Blue and pink shading show recent movements (Probably the past day).

NEW YORK, /U.S. Newswire/ -- CasinoFortune.com, one of the leading Internet casino sites announced today a poll amongst gamblers nationwide for the upcoming Presidential election. John F. Kerry has a commanding lead over the incumbent George W. Bush, in the poll in which 5,400 people have voted so far. As of this release, John Kerry leads 68 percentage points over George W. Bush's 32 points. The sponsor of the Internet poll, Casino Fortune ( http://www.casinofortune.com ) pledged to donate a total of $100,000 to the winner's campaign and political party. Casino Fortune is the oldest casino on the World Wide...

Presidential Election Odds Hit the World Wide Web The Kerry Camp plans to unseat the Bush Presidency but one London based bookmaker sees the odds a bit differently LONDON, UK (PRWEB) April 14, 2004 -- The Kerry camp plans to unseat the Bush Presidency by highlighting the failed economy, Iraq, and a host of other issues dear to the hearts of the Democrats. Will they regain the White House in 2004? Could be...but what are the odds? The Republicans feel the country will re-elect George the 43rd, emphasizing his War on Terrorism, Economic Programs and Improved Economy. But what...

Vegas odds on the 2004 presidential election at the link above.

That's it.

<p>Odds are California voters will recall Gov. Gray Davis, according to a Las Vegas oddsmaker who makes musclebound Arnold Schwarzenegger a slim favorite to win the election.</p> <p>Las Vegas oddsmaker America's Line made it a 2-7 sure thing that Davis will be recalled and installed the Republican Schwarzenegger as a 7-5 pick to be the state's next governor.</p>

[Q NOTE: THIS SECTION ON CALCULATED ODDS is one of the most exciting, to me. I believe the facts presented in this section are very incredible, very AWESOME.] The Scrabble Factor The seven Hanukah ELSs appear within a 1,123 letter long section of text, which is somewhat smaller than the 1,584 letter long section that is crossed by all of the Isaiah 53 ELSs that are at least as significant as the Hanukah finds. So the two source texts are fairly comparable in size. In reality most of the Isaiah 53 cluster is concentrated in the last half of the...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 December 31 A Year of Assessing Astronomical Hazards Drawing Credit: Dan Durda (SWRI) Explanation: Could an asteroid destroy civilization on Earth? Mountain-sized space rocks could potentially impact the Earth causing global effects, and perhaps even be mistaken for a nuclear blast of terrestrial origin. Such large impacts are rare but have happened before. Modern telescopes have therefore begun to scan the skies for signs of approaching celestial...

SAN JOSE, Calif. _ There's winning the Lottery. But winning two big jackpots? On the same day? Angelo Gallina beat the incredible odds, and on Wednesday the Belmont retiree claimed his payoff _ $6.6 million, after taxes, for holding the winning ticket from both the SuperLotto and the Fantasy 5 games on Nov. 20. It's the only time in the 17-year history of the California Lottery that's happened. And experts said the odds of doing it are mind-boggling. The odds of winning SuperLotto are 1-in-41 million. For Fantasy 5, 1-in-575,000. But for both? "This is just amazing, astronomical," said Stanford...

According to this market based poll, the odds of retaking the Senate are only 39% (33.9 + 5.3 as of 4 p.m. 10/23) What's up with that? The volume is pretty thin so it shouldn't take too much effort to boost it up.

<p>People who criticize politicians for paying too much attention to the polls may have a point.</p> <p>According to online wagering sites, would-be public servants could've predicted election outcomes a lot better by looking at the betting odds.</p> <p>With the 2002 congressional election mere weeks away, campaign managers may heed that advice by perusing the Iowa Electronic Markets, one of the operations with the most experience processing wagers on U.S. voting results.</p>

When the Miami Police first found Benito Que, he was slumped on a desolate side street, near the empty spot where he had habitually parked his Ford Explorer. At about the same time, Don C. Wiley mysteriously disappeared. His car, a white rented Mitsubishi Galant, was abandoned on a bridge outside of Memphis, where he had just had a jovial dinner with friends. The following week, Vladimir Pasechnik collapsed in London, apparently of a stroke. The list would grow to nearly a dozen in the space of four nerve-jangling months. Stabbed in Leesburg, Va. Suffocated in an air-locked lab in...