Free Republic

A book called "Ernie" was written by Borgnine. The book was originally titled " I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to keep my nuts warm". The publishers were squeamish about using that title, thus "Ernie" became the name of his biographical book. I loved the original title. He said when he was looking for work and not having much luck, he walked by a nut vendor on the street. There on the side of the vendor's cart was " I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to keep my...

The ‘slow boat’ to Centauri concept we’ve discussed before in these pages envisions generation ships, vessels that take thousands of years to cross to their destination. And based on current thinking, that’s about the best we could manage with the propulsion systems currently in our inventory. Specifically, a solar sail making a close solar pass (a ‘sundiver’ maneuver) could get us up to 500 or 600 kilometers per second (0.002c), making a 2000-year journey to the nearest star possible. It’s hard to imagine under what circumstances such a mission might be launched.But let’s think long-term, as Greg Matloff (New York...

The Kazanjian Red Diamond, one of the most spectacular gemstones ever discovered, goes on display today at the American Museum of Natural History. Red is the rarest color in diamonds — less than 20 are known to exist in the world today. What’s more, the Kazanjian Red Diamond has an amazing back story. The gem was discovered in the 1920s in Litchenburg, South Africa. When found, it was a hefty 35 carats uncut. A diamond broker paid a modest eight pounds per carat for it. It was later sent to Amsterdam to be cut and polished by the Goudiv brothers....

Over the years, Sen. John McCain has been known to change his views every now and then. Environmentalists hope this is one of those times. Now that McCain has dispatched a conservative primary challenger and Arizona appears set to send him back to the Senate, climate advocates are optimistic they will soon regain one of their biggest champions. ... Multiple sources said McCain reassured them in private that he still believed in the climate issue... ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Racism may be less of a factor in politics than other realms of life, according to a new University of Florida study, which found few white voters in Florida to be upset by the presidential candidacy of a black man, and many to be proud of it. To assess attitudes among white voters in a southern state about Barack Obama's historic election to the presidency, two UF political scientists analyzed results from four statewide telephone surveys -- each involving between 449 and 829 respondents – conducted in the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009. Their study...

Looks like the AFL-CIO is no longer even trying to hide the fact that it no longer sports a traditionally American political outlook. The labor union has announced that it is joining a voter registration drive called One Nation Working Together. This coalition is filled with some of the most extremely leftist groups in America today including the ACLU, Enviro extremists, La Raza, Code Pink, various anti-war groups, and the Communist Party USA. This new move by the AFL-CIO finds hearty support from the People's World newspaper, a publication dedicated to communism and the "direct descendent" of the communist Daily...

For decades, Wisconsin has served as a bastion of Upper Midwestern populism, which has mainly served the Democratic Party. At the moment, its entire slate of constitutional offices and its legislative leadership are all held by Democrats. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel sees change in the air, though, and reports that the state’s GOP has a shot at capturing every post in the upcoming midterms (via Lakeshore Laments): If this is a year of opportunity for victory-starved Republicans, no state in the country offers more bounty than Wisconsin, where an entire Democratic power structure is in peril this fall. Wisconsin is one...

What could be as alluring as a lady in red? A gentleman in red, finds a multicultural study published Aug. 2 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Simply wearing the color red or being bordered by the rosy hue makes a man more attractive and sexually desirable to women, according to a series of studies by researchers at the University of Rochester and other institutions. And women are unaware of this arousing effect. The cherry color's charm ultimately lies in its ability to make men appear more powerful, says lead author Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University...

When his idyllic life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive.

A 60's radical who's name became major part of the 2008 presidential campaign is on his way to Fresno. Bill Ayers, the co-founder of the Weather Underground, is slated to make an appearance in downtown Fresno this Thursday evening. The event is free to the public.

<p>It is, of course, a really silly thing to even think about, given the clout of the Chicago Machine boys currently occupying the White House.</p> <p>But, just say, the Real Great Talker continues his spiraling descent in the polls over the next 12-18 months; already the Democrat is barely tied with Any Republican in opinion polls looking toward 2012.</p>

State pensions in the redUnderfunded by as much as $500 billion, study says Tuesday, April 06, 2010 By The Associated Press SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's public pension funds are underfunded by as much as $500 billion, according to a Stanford University study that was commissioned by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and released Monday. The shortfall could create major financial crisis for the state. And California is not alone: states around the country are facing massive shortfalls in their pension and retiree health care obligations that academics have estimated surpass $3 trillion. The estimated California shortfall applies to the retirement systems for...

One of the most ironic aspects of our putative "Age of Obama" is how little impact it has had on the nation's urban geography. Although the administration remains dominated by boosters from traditional blue state cities--particularly the president's political base of Chicago--the nation's metropolitan growth continues to shift mostly toward a handful of Sunbelt red state metropolitan areas.

The electoral map candidate Barack Obama remade in 2008 appears to be retreating into its familiar patterns. Obama broke the decisive role Ohio and Florida seemed to play in presidential elections, by moving from trench warfare engagement in the two states to a broader battlefield on which Republicans were placed on the defensive in states they'd once taken for granted. And his victories in places where Democrats had fared poorly in recent elections — Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, the interior West — seemed to validate his strategists' claims that he had consigned the red state-blue state presidential dichotomy to the...

The White House -- as we wrote yesterday -- is dead set on passing the health care bill and will stop at nothing politically to get it done. But, new data in the NBC/WSJ poll suggests that simply passing a bill -- whatever is in it -- won't solve Democrats' political problems on health care. Two data points stand out: * Just 32 percent of of the sample said that President Obama's plan is a good idea while 47 percent said is a bad idea. Public opinion on that question had eroded even since October when 38 percent thought passing...

<p>Laura Ingraham supports this Rally so hope that is good enough for everyone. The Tea Parties are also on board.</p>

WASHINGTON -- The federal government kicked off fiscal year 2010 by posting its widest-ever October budget deficit, the Treasury Department said Thursday. The $176.36 billion gap is more than $20 billion wider than the shortfall recorded in October 2008, driven up by lower tax receipts, stimulus-related revenue reductions and consistently high government outlays. Treasury's monthly budget statement shows receipts were $135.33 billion in October, down 18% from a year earlier and at the lowest level since October 2002. Meanwhile, outlays were $311.69 billion, down 3% from a year earlier and at their second-highest monthly level on record.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The Jimi Hendrix version of the Star Spangled Banner was playing out of one of the vessels and it was a cool, clear day on the Bay near Hathaway Bridge but Saturday’s gathering of charter boat captains was not a party. It was their last stand, local captains and their supporters said. See photos from the protest >> New regulations from the National Marine Fisheries Service of amberjack and red snapper are destroying the local fishing industry, the captains said. About 50 boats, including small two-man skiffs, large pleasure boats and mid-size trawlers took part in...

Jackie and Dunlap weigh in on Obama's surprising Nobel Peace Prize win. Does he deserve it? (Youtube video)

Communist forces are invading America (again) and this is the pickup that's going to stop them. Spied on the set of the new Red Dawn remake, this Dodge Ram is a proud Wolverine.