Free Republic

The Russian economy contracted steeply in the second quarter as the economic consequences of its war in Ukraine took hold. The economy shrank 4 percent from April through June compared with a year ago, the Russian statistics agency said on Friday. It is the first quarterly gross domestic product report to fully capture the change in the economy since the invasion of Ukraine in February, when Western sanctions shut Russia off from much of the global financial system, and many countries severed trading relationships with Moscow. It was also a sharp reversal from the first quarter, when the economy rose...

Pennsylvania Dem who sponsored police 'reform' bill gets carjacked in crime-surging Philadelphia U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., was carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia on Wednesday as crime continues to surge in major cities across the country. Scanlon, whose district includes parts of Philadelphia and its western suburbs, was returning to her vehicle after attending a meeting when the alleged crime occurred, her office said in a statement. "The Congresswoman was physically unharmed," the statement added. "She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her...

WANAQUE, N.J. — Some students at a New Jersey high school are upset that they won’t be able to make a grand entrance by taking limousines and luxury cars to their prom. Lakeland Regional High School administrators sent a letter to parents this week stating that prom attendees must take school-provided and chaperoned coach buses to and from the venue in June. Schools Superintendent Hugh Beattie says it’s a matter of safety and equity...

On Thursday, the government's official Obamacare Facebook page was riddled with people expressing sticker shock over the government's high cost premiums after struggling for hours to wade through the technical failures vexing Obamacare exchanges all across the country. "I am so disappointed," wrote one woman. "These prices are outrageous and there are huge deductibles. No one can afford this!" The comment received 169 "likes." "There is NO WAY I can afford it," said one commenter after using the Kaiser Subsidy Calculator. "Heck right now I couldn't afford an extra 10$ [sic] a month...and oh apparently I make to [sic] much...

So Spike goes on NBC's WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE last night. Hilarity ensues...as we watch Spike turn several shades of grey as he comes to terms with the fact that: *His great grandpa worked in a CONFEDERATE Colt pistol factory, that was burned down by Sherman. * He almost certainly has white blood. * His ancestors not only had 40 acres and a mule, they had 80 acres and a mule by the 1870 census. *His third cousin twice removed was a fine southern lady living in Texas. Now I have a soft spot for Spike, and his...

Did you hear about the captured Russian gunship pilot shot down in Eighties Afghanistan? (If you’re of a squeamish disposition, I’d skip to the next par). First they gave him tea; then they gave him heroin, then they chopped his foot off, then they raped him; then, once he’d recovered from the first amputation - nurtured of course by traditional Pashtun hospitality - they raped him some more, before chopping off another of his limbs. And so on - nice, nasty, nice, nasty - until they had tired of their plaything and granted him the mercy of death. The only...

Today's American high school students are far likelier than those in the 1970s to believe they'll make outstanding spouses, parents and workers, new research shows. They're also much more likely to claim they are "A" students with high IQs -- even though other research shows that today's students do less homework than their counterparts did in the 1970s. The findings, published in the November issue of Psychological Science, support the idea that the "self-esteem" movement popular among today's parents and teachers may have gone too far, the study's co-author said. "What this shows is that confidence has crossed over into...

Peace activist murdered by PalestinianAngelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old student from Italy who arrived in Israel as a human rights organization activist, was stabbed to death Thursday by an Arab knifeman. "He believed in what he did and was always ready to help others," a friend described him. The website of Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera reported that Frammartino was working for the setting up of a children's supper camp for Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City, and was supposed to return to Italy on Friday. The youth was stabbed in the back while walking with four friends in the Sultan...

Bans on same-sex marriages inflict psychological trauma on gays and lesbians, a US study concluded. A study titled "I do, but I can't" examined nationwide research and determined that denying same-sex couples the marriage rights on par with heterosexual couples created "the mental distress of second-class citizenship." Being barred from marrying increased the risk of depression or isolation among gays, according to the findings released by the National Sexuality Resource Center. "Marriage denial creates what experts call minority stress, the psychological effects of constant discrimination that bars individuals from the legitimate means of achieving goals that are valued by the...

A contestant on ABC's Wife Swap is suing the Walt Disney Company and the show's producer, RDF Media, for $10,225,000 after the person involved in the swap turned out to be a gay man. Jeffrey D. Bedford of Haileyville, OK told the Muskogee Phoenix that he could not comment on the case but provided a copy of his lawsuit in which he claims that the producers told him that if he did not proceed with the filming, they would not tell him his wife's whereabouts and would not pay for her return home; that the gay man invited members of...

Not long ago, the FBI taped two crooked campaign fundraisers talking about how a high profile political figure had massively under-reported his campaign earnings from the 2004 election cycle. This was part of a wider probe into campaign finance violations by this figure and portions of his party. “Ah!” you may be saying (with tongue clucking disapproval), “those Republican money grubbers are at it again. How can they line their pockets with the donations of honest people!” And yet if you said that, you’d be wrong. The man is Al Sharpton and the fundraisers worked for the Democratic Party. So...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. Factory to shut by July, and Hunt Corp. says it will outsource to Asia STATESVILLE - In another blow to the hard-hit Carolinas manufacturing sector, an office supply factory considered a community mainstay will close next year, costing Iredell County about 325 jobs. Hunt Corp., based in Philadelphia, Pa., will start phasing out positions at its Speedball Road plant probably in March and close the entire facility by July, said Bill Joachim, director of manufacturing. The production of Boston-brand office supplies and X-Acto knives will move to Asia, most likely China,...

Hi everyone. I'm thinking about taking a breather from Free Republic for a little while. Not long, I'm sure. But, I just don't want it to interfere with my job, and I already had that happen once. I'm reading and posting much too much. I think a short sabbatical should help me break this bad habit.See you all soon .... NOT DURING WORK HOURS!