Free Republic

LONDON: It may sound untrue, but it's now a fact — Britain's standing as a world-class destination for higher education is under threat. Leading British universities have lost ground to their richer foreign rivals in world rankings — both Cambridge and Oxford universities have slipped down the top 200 list to give way to popular US varsities like Harvard and Yale. In fact, according to the Times Higher Education — QS World University Rankings, Harvard is at the top followed by Yale, Cambridge and Oxford. Both these British varsities came joint second last year. However, four UK universities are in...

The Golden State, which recently scrambled to fill a $15 billion budget gap, still may not be able to meet its payroll without help. California is going to Washington, D.C., to ask for $7 billion to cover its budget shortfall. Otherwise it won't be able to pay for its teachers, cops, firemen, and other essential services. Unfortunately, California won't be alone. A number of other states are experiencing a huge dive in tax revenue and could be going cap in hand to Uncle Sam alarmingly soon. How bad could it get? The potential cost for all the 31 states facing...

Toxic subprime mortgages and sickly derivatives are one thing, but even amid the write-downs and bailouts, Wall Streeters have to be wondering if they are getting a pretty bad return on another investment–the money they contributed to the Presidential candidates. Financiers have donated millions of dollars for Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, let alone the funds given to various House and Senate candidates. And sophisticated Wall Streeters surely know that when they make campaign contributions, they aren’t paying for specific policies as much as access. What Wall Street didn’t want was to be the campaign season’s favorite political...

Best-sellers Books Top 10

Recommended lists of ‘essential’ reading are the most pernicious ‘to do’ lists of all. Lists of physical achievements or magical holiday destinations or wonderful restaurants or fabulous hotels make you feel like your life has been wasted; a list of great books you should have read makes you feel like your brain has been wasted. Most people embarking on a journey into a new book will feel they have to hack through a hundred pages of dense undergrowth before their conscience will allow them to give it up as a lost cause. But how many people feel secure enough in...

Barack Obama's surrogates have been trying to convince the American people that his judgment is so impeccable that his lack of experience is irrelevant. However, it's hard to make that case when the candidate in question is the single biggest gaffe machine to hit American politics since Howard Dean. You think Joe Biden cranks out a lot of dumb quips? Well, Biden is a rank amateur compared to Obama. As you read these brainless comments, keep in mind that the biggest challenge I had in creating this list was limiting it to only 10 snafus. In fact, there were so...

In NewMax's "Hollywood's Heroes" you'll find out about the 25 stars who deserve acclaim for their courageous support of America and our troops. These are celebrities who live out the heartland's values and stand up against Hollywood's political correctness.

Jan 2005... On Labor Day, he was a favorite to be Treasury Secretary should John Kerry win the White House. At yearend, he had left under a cloud. The charmed career of Franklin D. Raines -- a poor kid from Seattle who climbed through Harvard and a Rhodes Scholarship to become White House budget director and CEO of Fannie Mae (FNM ) -- crashed to a halt on Dec. 21. That was six days after the Securities & Exchange Commission's top accountant declared that mortgage giant Fannie misstated earnings for 3 1/2 years, leading to an estimated $9 billion restatement...

Rounding out the top 10 -- and making a campaign statement for fashion -- was Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who was given high marks for a look that was "classic and confident." "She has a look. She works it with confidence, and she knows what looks good on her," said People's Style Editor Clarissa Cruz. But Obama played down the notion that her sense of style might be anything close to couture, telling People: "Some of my favorite summer dresses are from Gap and H&M."

Palin has taken the GOP faithful by storm, captured the attention of the largest audience ever to watch a VP acceptance speech, and potentially created an entirely new presidential race. If the Obama camp seems flummoxed and floundering, alternating between horrid insults and praise for the new Republican VP nominee, it is easy to see why: she has completely shaken up the race. Only a few days after her landmark speech...

Obama's 10 reasons for supporting infanticide Posted: January 16, 2008 1:00 am Eastern By Jill Stanek © 2008 I was intimately involved in the five-year process to pass the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act, testifying before committees twice that then-state Sen. Barack Obama sat on. Following are 10 excuses Obama has given through the years for voting "present" and "no" on the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act, or BAIPA. 10. Babies who survive abortions are not protected by the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. Obama, the sole opponent ever to speak against BAIPA, stated on the Illinois...

Thank you, FOX News!

#1 The media believes in Reproductive Privacy for John Edwards, but not for Sarah Palin #2: Sarah Palin knows how many children she has and with whom (a tip of the hat to FReeper Question Liberal Authority) #3: John Edwards would worry more about his hair at 3:00 AM (a tip of the hat to FReeper bahblahbah) #4: John Edwards thinks he is prettier than Sarah Palin (a tip of the hat to FReeper LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget) #5: Sarah Palin is NOT a lawyer (a tip of the hat to FReeper NonValueAdded) #6 Sarah Palin doesn’t channel dead girls (a tip of...

Got Gas? You'll need it for the 10 worst commutes in the U.S. (LifeWire) - Lost time and endless aggravation are two of the biggest drawbacks of a grueling commute by car. But gridlock on the way to work also harms the environment by pumping extra pollution into the air and wasting precious fuel. How wasteful and time-consuming a commute becomes depends in part on how slowly traffic moves and how long it is stalled, says David Schrank, an associate research scientist at the Texas Transportation Institute, part of Texas A&M University in College Station. Things start to get...

#1: John Edwards is prettier than Sarah Palin #2: Sarah Palin knows how many children she has and with whom (a tip of the hat to FReeper Question Liberal Authority) #3: John Edwards would worry more about his hair at 3:00 AM (a tip of the hat to FReeper bahblahbah) #4: Sarah Palin is NOT a lawyer (a tip of the hat to FReeper NonValueAdded)

TOP 10 REASONS McCAIN’S VP SHOULD BE ALASKA GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN Laurie Morrow • August 28, 2008 0:57am • Uncategorized Edit This REASON #10: PALIN’S YOUTH COMPLEMENTS McCAIN’S EXPERIENCE For months, Obama’s supporters have touted the Senator’s youthfulness as one of his qualifications for office (a strategy they’re apt to scale back on, given their selection of a Vice President nearly as old as McCain). If youth is seen as a plus by voters, then Alaska Governor Sarah Palin fits the bill. At 44, she is 3 years younger than Barack Obama, and the youngest person ever to be elected...

10. Inexperience. Romney, a one-term governor who did not run for reelection, has precisely one-third of the elective experience that Dan Quayle had when nominated for Vice President, and Quayle was attacked for his inexperience. A Romney nomination would cut against the grain of one of McCain’s best arguments – Obama’s inexperience – and this is particularly true when placed against Joe Biden. 9. Rommey supporters typically say that he would be good on the economy. But why, exactly? Paul O’Neill and John Snow were both highly successful businessmen, and yet were weak as Treasury Secretary. Why would Romney be...

The co-author of the popular travel adventure book "100 Things to do Before You Die" has died. Dave Freeman passed away on Aug. 17 after a fall in his Venice home, the 47-year-old writer's father confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. The "100 Things" theme inspired countless readers to do things like attend the Academy Awards and travel to exotic locales.

It’s a shame, because I was looking forward to all the positive effects of an Obama victory, but barring a major gaffe by John McCain, Barack Obama will lose in November. When McCain was trailing big and Obama was sailing along, I never felt Obama should be favored. He simply is too flawed of a candidate. Now that things have tightened in the polls and we are seeing what happens when people start to take a closer look at Obama, I believe the race is over. I have not gotten a presidential election outcome wrong in my lifetime, and do...

Top 10 Underappreciated All-American Cars And Trucks Many of the most important vehicles built in the United States since the end of World War II—cars that defined new style, pioneered new technology or just plain kept companies going—are overlooked to this day. The innovations implemented by these cars and trucks seemed at the time so minor that few realized they were, in fact, revolutionary. So, this Fourth of July weekend, we celebrate our favorite unsung American car heroes. By John Pearley Huffman Published on: July 3, 2008 1986 Ford TaurusBy the mid-1980s American buyers were fleeing traditional American family cars...

More than 25 percent of adults are obese in 28 states, an increase from 19 states last year, Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported in their fifth annual obesity survey. More than 20 percent of adults are obese — 30 pounds or more overweight — in every state except Colorado. Nine of the Top 10 fattest states are in the south. Mississippi leads the pack with an adult obesity rate of 31.7 percent, according to the report, which is a follow-up analysis of the annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey by the federal Centers for...

#10 Tennessee (93-34; .732) The rivalry between the Vols and Gators continues, as the Vols knock the Gators from the top 10 by having an identical number of losses, but the Vols managing one more win. UT took home the national title in 1998 and has only had one losing season since. It's rare that I see the Vols projected near the top at the start of the season, but they have played in a January bowl eight of the past 10 years. Pretty impressive stuff #9 Michigan (93-32; .744) The Wolverines have been one of the steadiest teams making...

HARDCOVER NONFICTION Top 5 at a Glance 1. THE OBAMA NATION, by Jerome R. Corsi 2. WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES, by David Sedaris 3. STORI TELLING, by Tori Spelling with Hilary Liftin 4. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler 5. FLEECED, by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann

LONDON: It seems that new history has completely forgotten one of Britain's tallest leaders — Winston Churchill. The wartime PM, who led Britain to victory in the World War II, failed to secure a place on the list of the most important people and events in UK history. In fact, Queen Victoria, Florence Nightingale, Captain Cook and Sir Walter Raleigh also couldn't get into the "British" list — though the Beatles found a place, the Sun reported. A team of scholars working for the History Channel has compiled the comprehensive list for a television series.

10. Two years ago, you said, “Democrats have a common-sense plan to lower gas prices.” Since you took over as Speaker of the House fuel prices have nearly doubled, which is punishing American families. Will you be releasing that common-sense plan anytime soon? 9. So far, your Democratic House of Representatives has done nothing but propose gimmicks. Your first energy gimmick was to pass a law that allows America to sue OPEC, apparently so we can become more dependent upon Middle East oil. This is puzzling to most Americans. Remind us again what that accomplishes? 8. Your second gimmick was...

Most Memorable Conventions ... Here you'll find the 11 most important convention highlights in modern U.S. political history, a list that will be revealed one by one through Aug. 25. The list is based on our interviews with a dozen political experts. But now it's your job to sample each moment and rate them based on their dramatic value.

At least 29 states plus the District of Columbia, including several of the nation’s largest states, faced an estimated $48 billion in combined shortfalls in their budgets for fiscal year 2009 (which began July 1, 2008 in most states.) At least three other states expect budget problems in fiscal year 2010. In general, states closed these budget gaps through some combination of spending cuts, use of reserves or revenue increases when they adopted a fiscal year 2009 budget. At this point in the year, most states have already adopted those budgets; only two states — California and Michigan — continue...

New Jersey's # 1...In Taxing Its Residents Reporting Christine Sloan TRENTON (CBS) ― It's not always good to be at the top. A new study revealed New Jersey is the tax capital of the country. A new study shows that the Garden State even surpasses New York for the heaviest local and state tax burden in the country. New Jersey is number one, and residents say they're not surprised. "My property taxes are close to $10,000 and I am expecting it to go up," said Robert Perez, of Bogota. Because of that, Perez has cut back on his cable and...

When Senator Barack Obama steps onto the stage on Thursday, next to Berlin’s Victory column, the world will be expecting a momentous speech. The bar is high because, as even his detractors concede, Mr Obama is a remarkable speaker. He first shot to prominence when he moved many at the 2004 Democratic convention to tears. He announced he would run for president last year with a beautifully-crafted address in Abraham Lincoln’s home town of Springfield, Illinois. A pivotal moment of his epic primary battle with Hillary Clinton was his Philadelphia speech about race after the incendiary utterances of his former...

Do you remember your puppy days when you’d lay in a field, look at the sky and use your imagination on the puffs of clouds floating by? Yup, the good old days. These were the times long before you were asked to humiliate yourself by standing on your hind legs just to get a treat. Of course in my cloud observation days, I never really got much further than “Hey, that looks like a ball!” or “Hey, that looks like a chewy!” but no one ever accused me of being creative or bright. Our first entry is this Dachshund running...

Free Congress Foundation frequently is asked for a recommendation for good institutions of higher learning. Paul T. Yarbrough agreed to undertake a review of the best institutions in this country. He spent months acquiring catalogues, reviewing materials and asking questions. What follows is his exclusive report. We hope this will be an annual exercise. [SNIP] For our survival as a nation, to advance the cause of liberty and preserve what is left of our Judeo-Christian culture, faith and reason must infuse the life of an American college. There is no other way to achieve excellence. Do any institutions in our...

Britons have the second lowest quality of life in Europe caused by high fuel prices, rising energy bills, long working hours and lack of sunshine, according to a new survey. Despite having by far the highest household net income, the UK was ranked nine out of ten in the research, with only Ireland coming lower. Families in the UK pay six 6 per cent more than average for petrol, pay 49 per cent more for gas and 5 per cent more for electricity, according to uswitch.com quality of life index released on Wednesday. Those in the UK have only 28...

Census Bureau says New Orleans is the fastest-growing large city in the nation, recovering from being wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- After being pummeled by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans is showing signs of recovery - ranking as the fastest-growing large city in the nation, according to a government report released Thursday. The Census Bureau said New Orleans' population rose 13.8%, to 239,124, in the year ended July 1, 2007. That was a faster growth rate than any other city with a population of 100,000 or more.

The top ten likely effects as the bear market bites Patrick Hosking: Business Commentary There is now no doubt about it. Even the cheeriest of optimists would have to acknowledge that we are in the grip of a pronounced bear market. The FTSE 100 has slumped by more than 500 points in the past month and from the peak of last October is down by 18 per cent. At one point yesterday it dived to 5,470, close to the nadir of the Bear Stearns panic in March, although it managed a half-hearted rally at the end of the day. One...

David Letterman's top 10 on why the Air Force is great

Let us save you from hotel hell Check out TripAdvisor's 2008 top 10 Dirtiest Hotels, chosen by our members as beyond scummy, and prepare to be utterly disgusted (....And why they're on this list) Dirtiest Hotels - U.S. Hotel Carter, New York, NY Ramada Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls, NY (Hotel now closed) Nashville - Days Inn Vanderbilt / Music Row, Nashville, TN Red Carpet Inn, Fort Lauderdale, FL Regency Inn & Suites, New York, NY St. Augustine Beachfront Resort, Saint Augustine, FL Travel Inn Civic/Medical Center, Miami, FL Eden Roc Motel, Wildwood, NJ Days Inn Lancaster, Lancaster, PA Pacific...

Here we go! Genesis-The Brazillian Garbage-Only Happy When It rains Gypsy Kings-Sin Ella Gomez-How We Operate Gustaf Greferg- I see The Light Gordon Lightfoot-Sundown The Go Go's- Our Lips are Sealed George Harrison- All Those years Ago Gary Puckett and The Union Gap- Young Girl Guns N' Roses- Welcome To the Jungle

(RE:) ...the changing demographics of the American work force and the increasing globalization of business interactions. "Many individuals are likely to find themselves directing--or under the direction of--someone demographically dissimilar," business professors Derek R. Avery and Kecia M. Thomas write in the journal "Academy of Management Learning & Education" (2004). "Hence, understanding diversity and its impact of workplace relationships has become a critical business competency." ( ... ) as a sample, I looked at the course listings of BusinessWeek magazine's top 10 U.S. business schools to see what they offered in diversity management. The magazine ranks MBA programs based on...

Conservatives don't seem so enthused with John McCain and kind of feel on the sidelines this election cycle. Still, things could be worse, so I thought I'd make a list of positive things about the Republican candidate: TOP TEN GREAT THINGS ABOUT JOHN MCCAIN 10. Independents love him, so they must know something we don't with how smart they think they are. 9. Since he has military combat experience, instead of getting the tiresome chickenhawk argument from liberals, we'll get the newer, more interesting "being in the military made him crazy!" argument. 8. Reportedly, he's very conservative on social issues......

Now that Barack Obama has clinched a win at least with respect to pledged delegates, there remains little doubt that he will be the nominee. Which leaves one question among many: With whom will he share the ticket? Obama's ideal vice president, at least according to the conventional wisdom, is a white male, from a crucial and/or swing state, who has both executive experience and strong foreign policy credentials, as well as a longer and more accomplished record than Obama. This person should be a solid, experienced campaigner, who is also able to help Obama appeal to demographics with which...

In the book “How to Think Like a CEO: The 22 Vital Traits You Need to Be the Person at the Top,” author D.A. Benton created a list of 22 important traits shared by the more than 100 CEOs that she interviewed for the book. When people commonly think of CEOs, they tend to think of very visible corporate leaders like Warren Buffett and Jack Welch. However, CEOs exist in any business operation in which an individual leads a group of employees with the objective of performing at a high level to reach a business goal.

1) To be the Candidate of National security: a) Victory in Iraq b) Fully support NSA, Patriot act, tough interrogations, keeping Gitmo open c) A Candidate that pledges to NOT demean our military while they are fighting for their Country. eg Harry Reid: "the surge has failed", "the war is lost" d) Candidate that promises to ensure that our veterans can live out their lives in dignity. 2) The Candidate who pledges to oppose Appeasement: a) The Candidate will oppose any and all efforts to negotiate with dictators of the world in places like Iran, Syria, N.Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela...

In January of this year the National Journal published its rankings of all U.S. Senators. What they found has given Barack Obama his new title: the most liberal Senator of 2007. This was no back-of-the-envelope exercise but a careful analysis by a decidedly a-political outlet of ninety-nine votes. So how was it that Obama beat out such liberal all-stars as Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Russ Feingold? On foreign policy his voting record was nearly entirely liberal. The National Journal reported that “Obama's liberal score of 92 and conservative score of 7 indicate that he was more liberal in that...

With home values continuing to plummet across the country, it's become clear that the real estate meltdown is far from over. Values for single-family homes in 14 major U.S. cities posted double-digit declines from their respective peaks, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which tracks prices of single-family homes. On a national level, home values are down 12% since December 2006. And according to Beth Ann Bovino, a senior economist at Standard & Poor's, they could drop another 10% by the end of the year. "Things are accelerating downwards [and] in most cases the fall gets steeper...

Marisa Miller is #1

Imagine living in a city with the country's highest violent-crime rate and second-highest unemployment rate. As an added kicker, you need more Superfund dollars allocated to your city to clean up toxic-waste sites than just about any other metropolitan area.

New Delhi, May 15 India, which is rich in land, people and natural resources, has become a less competitive Economy in the past one year, with the country slipping two ranks in the latest world’s competitiveness index. India has been given a score of 60.62 points, while that of China is 73.75. The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook is a comprehensive report on the competitiveness of nations and is published since 1989. It provides several customised rankings, whether by size, wealth or regions.

Books are one of our greatest resources, but many times in history books have been written which are misleading or untrue. In some cases this has lead to widescale death and destruction and evil governmental regimes. This is a list of ten of the worst books of this type - books that have done more harm than good. The common thread in all of these books is deception - invariably not intentional, but the consequences are the same regardless. 10 Malleus MaleficarumHeinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, 1486 On the list because: It inflamed witch hunts across Europe Malleus Maleficarum (The...

Apple is one of the top US gay-friendly brands, community research showsApple is among the top six gay-friendly brands in the US, recent research reveals. The company shares the status with Bravo, Showtime, HBO, Absolut and Levi’s. Apple is seen as gay-friendly by 39 per cent of the gay and lesbian population in the US, just behind Bravo’s 52 per cent share. But WalMart, Dunkin Donuts, Cracker Barrel, Exxon Mobil and Samsung score the lowest marks in survey results taken among gay and lesbian consumers, claims the 2008 Prime Access/PlanetOut Gay and Lesbian Consumer Study released. The survey is one...