Free Republic

CAMDEN, N.J. - Police said a man died Wednesday morning after falling into a tank full of chocolate at a Camden business. Police were called to a warehouse and manufacturing facility on the 700 block of North 36th Street around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a man who had fallen into hot chocolate. The man had been in the melting pot for about 10 minutes by the time crews arrived, and by the time he was pulled out of the chocolate it was too late. He was declared dead shortly after 11 a.m. The turnout gear of firefighters...

Hopes of a deal on climate change at the Group of Eight industrialised nations summit in Italy were today hanging by a thread. As world leaders sat down for a working lunch at the start of a three day meeting of the G8, it emerged that negotiations had failed to reach agreement on halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Summit negotiators, who do the hard bargaining before the heads of state arrive to complete the agreements, failed to make progress on the issue in talks that continued late last night. China and India are understood to have blocked any mention...

WASHINGTON -- When you're up to your waders in barracuda, blame the media. And quit your job. And say you did it for the people. And hire an agent. And try to keep a straight face. On your way to the bank. Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public, H.L. Mencken once said. Terribly elitist fellow, that Mencken. If only he were alive to witness the phenomenon of Sarah Palin, whose biography validates every cynical thought that ever found expression in his prolific prose. Let's just say, Palin is in no danger of going broke. From...

Members of the environmental group Greenpeace draped an enormous banner next to the carved stone faces of Mount Rushmore today, calling for more aggressive action to fight climate change. The banner appeared to show President Obama's face and the words "America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians. Stop Global Warming." It was unfurled next to the image of Abraham Lincoln, on the far right side of the South Dakota landmark, starting about 12:30 p.m. EST....

Big Apple schoolchildren may get the day off to celebrate the religion of the hijackers. .... The New York City Council June 30 called on Mayor Bloomberg to add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to the New York Public School calendar. The non-binding council vote, Resolution 1281, passed with only councilmember G. Oliver Koppel opposing, urges the schools be closed to celebrate the two Islamic feast days. The vote comes as the culmination of a three-years lobbying effort by New York Islamist groups and what supporters such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations describe as “over 80 Labor and Community...

The Dark River to Antares Credit & Copyright: Jason Jennings Explanation: Connecting the Pipe Nebula to the colorful regon near bright star Antares is a dark cloud dubbed the Dark River, flowing from the picture's left edge. Murky looking, the Dark River's appearance is caused by dust obscuring background starlight, although the dark nebula contains mostly hydrogen and molecular gas. Surrounded by dust, Antares, a red supergiant star, creates an unusual bright yellowish reflection nebula. Above it, bright blue double star Rho Ophiuchi is embedded in one of the more typical bluish reflection nebulae, while red emission nebulae are also...

There is a vicious coordinated effort to slander Jordan Chandler by Michael Jackson fans. They are claiming he has admitted to lying about Jackson molesting him, and only did so over the guilt of his death. It is NOT true. Do a Google search for “Jordan Chandler admits he lied” and see what you get. Page after page after page of posts rehashing the same exact story that Jordan Chandler has admitted that Michael Jackson was innocent, and never assaulted him as a child.

[..] Apparently, Netanyahu came away from his meeting with Obama, a changed man, a shell of his former self. Imagine if you will being ordered by the Mob at a Casino to come into the back room due to your "independence". You see on entering some heavy set men around a table on which there is a hammer, a saw, a blowtorch, razor blades, a vise, acid and a number of other persuaders. Well you get the idea of what Netanyahu's meeting was like.The gloves came off and the Obama administration put there tools on the table. 1. withdrawal of...

The White House would be wise to learn the lessons of T. Boone Pickens' wind-power failure. On Tuesday, Texas oilman and energy security proselyte T. Boone Pickens announced that he will delay, and likely permanently scuttle, plans for a 687 turbine wind project in the Texas panhandle. The demise of the project, which was supposed to be the largest in the world at a rated generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts, came when Pickens discovered he couldn't raise money to build transmission lines to carry wind energy from his remote 200,000 acres to big cities that would consume the power. Pickens...

The man who took five lives in six days in a small Cherokee County town should have been in jail, according to South Carolina officials who have examined his criminal record. Patrick Tracy Burris, who allegedly murdered five Gaffney residents ranging in age from 15 to 83, was a habitual felon with a 25-page rap sheet that included an eight year stint in North Carolina prison. Police say Burris should have never been released from prison, and now they are demanding answers. “When you have that many crimes you shouldn’t get parole,” said South Carolina Law Enforcement Chief Reggie Lloyd...

Since taking over as leader nearly a decade ago, Vladimir Putin has rolled back democracy and freedom in Russia in ways that would only rival Joseph Stalin. He's cracked down on opponents, the media, and rolled back the Democratic process. All of this is a naked attempt to consolidate all legitimate power into his own hands. Yet, Putin isn't merely popular in Russia, but overwhelmingly popular.

Health care "reformers" keep talking about getting us more health insurance. Then they talk about cutting costs. This is contradictory nonsense. Insurance, whether private or a government Ponzi scheme like Medicare, means third parties pay the bills. When someone else pays, costs always go up. Imagine if you had grocery insurance. You wouldn't care how much food cost. Why shop around? If someone else were paying 80 percent, you'd buy the most expensive cuts of meat. Prices would skyrocket. That's what health insurance does to medical care. Patients rarely even ask what anything costs. Doctors often don't know. Often nobody...

Valletta, Malta, Jul 8, 2009 / 12:14 am (CNA).- The editor of a Malta newspaper has commented on President Barack Obama’s choice of Prof. Doug Kmiec as ambassador to Malta, describing the appointment as “somewhat of a poisoned chalice” and noting the controversies concerning Kmiec and his campaign to elect Obama to the American presidency.Noel Grima, editor of the Malta Independent Online, said that though Kmiec was a Catholic and a pro-life person he has “fallen foul” of some Catholic leaders for his public stances on abortion and other pro-life issues.Noting Kmiec’s past as a law school dean, a law...

Saxby Chambliss returned to the Senate after winning a hotly contested election in which many Georgia conservatives, disgusted with his votes for the bailouts and stimulus and his stance against domestic drilling, voted for the Libertarian candidate, Allen Buckley. The number of votes acquired by Buckley did not allow Chambliss to gain a majority and forced a runoff with his Democrat challenger. Chambliss eventually won the runoff, helped a great deal by support from talk radio and national Republican leaders who were all apparently willing to sacrifice their conservative principles to save the Senate from a filibuster-proof Democratic majority. And...

The nation's hospitals will give up $155 billion in future Medicare and Medicaid payments to help defray the cost of President Barack Obama's health care plan, a concession the White House hopes will boost an overhaul effort that's hit a roadblock in Congress. Vice President Joe Biden announced the deal at the White House on Wednesday, with administration officials and hospital administrators at his side. "Reform is coming," he said. "It is on track. ... We have never been as close as we are today." And in a firm message to lawmakers, Biden added, "We must and will enact reform...

As many as 800 Pennsylvania state employees might have to be laid off because of Republican lawmakers' demands for spending cuts and labor unions' refusal to accept less drastic measures, Gov. Ed Rendell says. "I regret that deeply," Rendell said Tuesday. "I wish the unions would consider letting me do rolling furloughs. I think it's a fairer way than taking away someone's livelihood, but I can't do that without their assent under the contract." David Fillman, the executive director of the state's largest employee union, said unions have ruled out furloughs because it involves office shutdowns that are disruptive to...

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) has taken up the mantle as the chief opponent of "Don't ask, don't tell" in Congress, and he's confident the policy banning gays from serving openly in the military will get its first full committee hearing in a decade and a half this session. Murphy, a second-term Democrat, will be lead sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal "Don't ask, don't tell" — a policy first passed by Congress and signed into law under President Bill Clinton. "It's our job," Murphy said of a repeal. "This was an act of Congress in 1993...

JASLO, Poland (Reuters) – An oak tree planted in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War Two to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday may soon face the axe if the local mayor has her way. Authorities in Jaslo in rural southeastern Poland discovered the origins of the tree when plans were lodged to fell it to make way for a traffic roundabout. "We obtained information that this is no ordinary tree but was put here to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday," said Jaslo's mayor, Maria Kurowska. "So should I try to improve our town's communications or should I allow a memorial to that criminal...

Cash-strapped states have used federal stimulus dollars to close short-term budget gaps and avert major tax increases but generally have not directed the money toward long-term expansion, according to a new report. The report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, found that the $787 billion stimulus package is being used to "cushion" state budgets, prevent teacher layoffs, make more Medicaid payments and head off other fiscal problems. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that only 10 percent of the Recovery Act funds have been released so far, with about half of the money expected to be spent...

Having rattled his saber through a series of missile launches over the past few weeks, Kim Jong-Il has also indulged himself in quieter methods of rattling his enemies. Since late last week, North Korea has conducted cyber attacks against both South Korea and the US, according to officials in Seoul. The attacks took US government systems off line intermittently since July 4th and continue at least through last night: