Free Republic

New numbers from the Census Bureau on how many people move from state to state underscore another aspect of the right-to-work debate that does not often take center stage: Americans continue to move to right-to-work states. The Mackinac Center has long viewed changes in the number of people in a state as perhaps the single best tool for measuring the quality of life there. After all, there are reasons people pack up and move, and those reasons reflect an individual’s self-interest. Economic opportunities are a clear reason to move, as are amenities such as access to coastal waters or more...

Americans can expect to play a game of 'Where in the World is President Obama?' all through 2016 as the White House is working to line up at least six trips abroad for the lame duck leader. Politico is reporting that the only continents the president has ruled out are Antarctica and Australia, and while Africa won't be a solo destination, there's a chance Obama could swing through his father's home continent as part of another trip. He's making the trips to secure his foreign policy legacy – working on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and ridding the world of...

A recent Organizing for America fundraising letter to supporters contained an ominous threat from President Barack Obama: "I've got 12 months left to squeeze every ounce of change I can while I'm still in office. And that's what I intend to do."Not mentioned in the letter is his plan to squeeze out every ounce of travel he can while he's still in office. In keeping with his reputation as a "permanent campaigner," Obama plans to go on a global tour in 2016 to "seal his foreign policy legacies."Obama will be spewing carbon from Air Force One into the atmosphere of...

Millions of air travelers across the U.S. are potentially at risk of finding themselves grounded in the new year thanks to a post-9/11 law that took a decade to finally come into effect. The REAL ID Act, originally passed in 2005, was meant to tighten standards for government-issued IDs like driver's licenses -- to boot, it banned federal agencies from accepting any IDs that don't meet the bar. That means the TSA technically shouldn't accept driver's licenses from certain states, once the law is in full effect. While Washington let the rules slide for years, the Department of Homeland Security...

You are going where? And why are you going there? And you are doing it over Thanksgiving? Those were the universal questions when we told people that we were going to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. And, to boot, flying on Air France through Paris a week after the heinous attacks. The immediate reason for the trip was the final Formula 1 race of the season taking place in Abu Dhabi. The proximate cause was that my long-time friend and business associate had a son living with a very influential family from the Emirates and we wanted to take advantage of...

Takes 113 hours.

HANCOCK — The Sideling Hill Welcome Center is now more than just the most scenic set of fair-weather restrooms in Western Maryland after Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford and a host of elected officials on Friday reopened the facility, which has been closed for the last six years. Perched on the east side of Sideling Hill near Hancock, where a massive cut in the mountain rock allows Interstate 68 to pass through, the center was closed in 2009, in a move by former Gov. Martin O'Malley that did not sit well with many area residents. "It was done for political...

I will be working in Nairobi, Kenya for 8 months starting March 2016. For the period I can rent a car for $1,200 per month, but am thinking I'd be better off buying a new car for about $8,000 and selling it when leaving. How practical is this? Thank you very much for your time and help!

Come 2016, your state driver’s license may not be enough to get you on a commercial flight. On Oct. 10, the Department of Homeland Security began enforcing the last phase of the Real ID Act, which establishes minimum security standards for states and United States territories when issuing identification, primarily driver’s licenses; and prohibits certain government facilities and — most relevant to travelers — the Transportation Security Administration from accepting them as proof of identification if they were issued by a noncompliant state. But don’t fret just yet. Initially, enforcement is limited to those entering federal and military facilities and...

For the second year in a row, the island of Palawan was recognized as Best Island in the World by leading US travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler in its Readers’ Choice Awards 2015. Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary Arturo Boncato Jr., in a text message to the Philippines News Agency said that the department was delighted about the recognition given to Palawan by Conde Nast. “The DOT is continuously focused on developing destinations in the country together with all stakeholders: NGAs, LGUs, private sector, and all our much-valued markets; to exceed expectations in many fronts,” Boncato said. “…Accolades...

They traveled 13,000 miles in a Volkswagen bus through 13 countries and were only 30 miles from their destination, Philadelphia, when it broke down. Again. By now, they were accustomed to the idiosyncrasies of their beloved bus. Still, after 194 days on the road and on the city's outskirts, they dealt with one more disappointment. But again with the help of Good Samaritans, they got the bus going again and finally arrived this week in the City of Brotherly Love, the culmination of a journey of epic proportions. They had embarked on the long trip to spend time together as...

Due to military activities, the TCAS and ADS-B surveillance may be unreliable in the airspace over Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and extending approximately 200 nautical miles offshore, from 1 a.m. EDT (0500z) Sept. 2 until midnight EDT (0459z) on Oct. 1. Pilots are advised that the traffic alert and TCAS may fail to establish tracks on nearby aircraft and may fail to receive traffic alerts (TA) or resolution advisories (RA). Operators should be aware that tracks may first appear within close proximity to their aircraft, and may immediately go into TA/RA status. Pilots are advised to...

Amarillo Police boarded the plane and removed six passengers described as “unruly”Members of a San Diego-based recreational soccer league were removed from a cross-country flight Monday and arrested on suspicion of federal charges. A dozen members of the San Diego Chaldean Soccer League were flying Southwest Airlines to Chicago’s Midway Airport for a tournament, friends tell NBC 7. A "level one threat" was declared onboard Flight 1522 and prompted pilots to divert the flight and its 117 passengers to Amarillo, Texas, just after 10 p.m., according to court documents. Southwest Airlines said in a statement that “several passengers traveling together...

Two fighter jets were scrambled to escort a passenger jet that was forced to make an emergency landing after a woman on board allegedly became unruly over her cat. Passengers on board the Condor Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Frankfurt claimed the woman brought her cat onto the plane and became enraged when her pet was put in a lavatory by cabin crew.

Washington - The United States on Friday asked its citizens to defer their all non-essential travel to Pakistan, citing increased terror activities in the country. "The Department of State warns US citizens against all non-essential travel to Pakistan," a travel advisory said. However, the US Embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulate General in Karachi continue to provide consular services for all its citizens in Pakistan. The Consulate General in Peshawar no longer offers consular services, and consular services at the Consulate General in Lahore remain temporarily suspended. "The presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continues to pose a danger to...

'Ayrshire? Don’t you dare(shire).'

In aviation circles, the talk of the future involves phrases like "space planes" and "hypersonic atmospheric flight vehicles." A group presently in the spotlight is from Germany; they are carrying a roadmap for low-cost space access which involves calling upon the air passenger market for fast-travel flights. Welcome to the world of SpaceLiner, which, when fully developed, could have dramatic impact in global aerospace. The DLR Institute of Space Systems said this suborbital, hypersonic, winged passenger transport idea is under investigation at DLR-SART. (DLR is a German aerospace research agency and it evaluates complex systems of space flight. SART is...

Emirates has announced the launch of the world's longest non-stop flight - an 8,700mile journey lasting an incredible 17 hours 35 minutes. Starting on February 1, 2016, the service from Dubai to Panama City is exciting news for those who love Central America, but it will be a stern endurance test for anyone in economy class. Panama City is Emirates' first gateway destination in Central America.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on Friday said the government is investigating whether four airlines engaged in price gouging after a deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia in May disrupted rail service in the Northeast. The Transportation Department sent letters on Friday to Delta, American, Southwest and JetBlue requesting information. Prices on round-trip airline tickets between major cities such as New York City and Washington, D.C., skyrocketed in the wake of the deadly Amtrak derailment, which closed a major stretch of rail line and disrupted travel in one of....

Nepal reopened its most popular trekking trail to tourists on Thursday after international experts said it was safe, three months after two devastating earthquakes led the government to close most hiking routes. Miyamoto International, a California-based structural engineering company, said in a report that quake-related damage in the Annapurna region “was very limited”. Less than 1 percent of the route and 3 percent of guest houses along the Annapurna circuit were damaged, it said, adding the report for the Everest region would be completed shortly.