Free Republic

The Federal Reserve has made $14 billion in profits on loans made in the last two years, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing officials close to the matter. The U.S. central bank also earned about $19 billion from interest and fees charged to institutions that tapped liquidity facilities during the global financial crisis, the report said. If the Fed had invested the same amounted loaned out in three-month Treasury bills since August 2007, it would have earned $5 billion in interest, the FT said. .....

Men accused of having sex on stranger's lawn They are accused of lewd conduct near the beach. LAGUNA BEACH Police arrested two men today on suspicion of having sex on a stranger's lawn. The incident occurred in broad daylight, police said, in the 1000 block of Gaviota Drive, which is a neighborhood of multi-million-dollar homes near Thalia Street Beach, on the ocean side of Coast Highway. Police Sgt. George Ramos said the home's owner called police at 12:57 p.m. to report that the men had just finished having sex and had walked off. "We were able to locate them within...

In an explosive interview by Dr. Laurie Roth on her syndicated West Coast radio show on August 7th with Douglas Hagmann — a respected journalist, director of the Northeast Intelligence Network, and longtime private investigator, and Judi McLeod, a prolific journalist and the managing editor of Canada Free Press — the reason for the media blackout about the birth-certificate issue was nothing less than organized Mafia-like dire threats to members of the media issued not only from the heads of major TV and radio stations but also from Federal Communication Commission officials! According to Hagmann and McLeod, who conducted a...

The Dalai Lama began the first full day of his controversial trip to Taiwan with words to mollify China, saying his mission to comfort victims of one of the deadliest storms to hit the island was entirely humanitarian. The visit by the exiled spiritual leader has the potential to set back improving ties between the island and China – which claims Taiwan as a renegade province – and deal a set back to the signature policy of the 15-month-old administration of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou. However, the maroon-robed monk was unequivocal in his assessment of the five-day trip. “I've visited...

Shoppers are stockpiling traditional light bulbs while they still have the chance. An EU ban comes into force on Tuesday making it illegal for retailers and wholesalers to import most of the old-style bulbs. It means once stocks have run out, the only ones available will be the more pricey, low energy variety. Roger King, who runs Hampton Hill Hardware in Middlesex, said: “I’ve taken orders this week for quantities in the 50s and 100s.” “People don’t like being told what to do for a start. Many are concerned that they are not going to be able to see properly...

Madonna and her entourage splashed into Israel for two shows, but leading Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Batzri expressed sorrow that Israelis put out the red carpet for the non-Jewish star who dabbles in Kabbalah. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Opposition leader Tzipi Livni are among those who will meet Madonna, a Roman Catholic who has adopted the Jewish name “Esther.”

Note: The following text is a quote: YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Tashkent (Old City), Uzbekistan Security Notice CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS South / Central Asia - Uzbekistan 30 Aug 2009 U.S. Embassy Tashkent issued the following Warden Message on August 30: Several local sources report that on the evening of Saturday, August 29th Uzbek police forces clashed with unknown armed assailants in the “Old City” area of Tashkent. The Embassy has confirmed that there has been a substantial increase in police activity in this part of town. Because of ongoing police...

Terri Schiavo's Father Dies At 71 (St. Petersburg, FL) -- The father of a woman who was at the center of a battle over "end of life" issues has died. Terri Schiavo's dad, Robert Schindler, passed away on Saturday at the age of 71. Schindler, his wife Mary, and their two other children became national figures back in 2005 while fighting to keep Terri alive on a feeding tube, against the wishes of her husband, Michael. Bobby Schindler released a statement saying he was "heartbroken" over the loss of his father and called his father "a man of integrity, character,...

Iran's nuclear weapons development is a done deal, according to a TV interview with a retired high Egyptian official at the UN nuclear agency, the IAEA.  They can make a bomb whenever they want to. Once they make the decision to enrich uranium it could take one or two years, as they choose.  As shown by MEMRI TV, coming from Egypt's Channel 1:  Yousri Abu Shadi: "The question should be whether it (Iran) is capable of doing this (making a nuclear bomb). Yes. Technically speaking, it is capable of it. If Iran wants to produce nuclear bombs within a short...

Poor weather is hampering the search effort in the Victorian alpine region for State Water and Tourism Minister Tim Holding. Mr Holding has not been heard from since Saturday evening when he headed out on a solo trek to Mount Feathertop, north-east of Melbourne. It is Victoria's second highest mountain and the climb is dangerous at the best of times. Police are not confident of finding Mr Holding today because of the weather. There is low cloud cover and constant drizzle, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius. Helicopters are unable to join the search because of the low cloud...

People and businesses waste time, fuel and money stuck in traffic. How much would regional economies grow if traffic conditions were free-flowing instead of jammed? My new Reason Foundation study, written with Gregory Fields and Adrian Moore, looks at how reducing gridlock would increase economic output and worker productivity in eight cities across the country. The results show how much cities stand to gain if they increase mobility around key destinations like universities, suburbs and retail shopping centers. Once free-flow conditions were achieved, the Gross Regional Product of these areas would see major annual gains: * Reducing Atlanta's Congestion Could...

What might life be like during the kind of major swine flu pandemic predicted by the White House to hit the U.S. this fall? A CDC report raises concern over Washington's potential response to H1N1. (ABC News Photo Illustration) The worst-case scenarios percolate on the edges of thought: bans on public gatherings, restricting the movement of afflicted individuals, and compelled vaccinations. Conspiracy theorists go farther, suggesting that the World Health Organization is behind a secret plan to inoculate Americans at gunpoint with immune-system depleting vaccines to depopulate the globe. The CDC's report, released Monday, may well create some level of...

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston--Shuttle commander Frederick "C.J." Sturckow, forced by a leaky steering jet to use Discovery's big maneuvering thrusters instead of preferred fine-control vernier engines, deftly guided the spaceplane to a flawless docking with the International Space Station Sunday night to cap a two-day rendezvous.Approaching from directly in front of the laboratory complex as both spacecraft sailed 220 miles above the central Atlantic Ocean at 5 miles per second, the shuttle's payload bay docking port engaged its counterpart on the front end of the station's Harmony module at 7:54 p.m. CDT, about 10 minutes ahead of schedule.The shuttle Discovery,...

The national flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) will be hoisted at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on September 20, media reported Sunday. Chinese associations in the United States had applied to hold a ceremony in front of the US President’s residence to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRC. Chen Ronghua, chairman of Fujian Association of the United States, told reporters that their application was approved not only

In this video at Representative Jim Moran’s (D-VA) town hall meeting on ObamaCare held at South Lakes High School in Reston, VA, many people were left outside when the school filled to capacity. School security officer Wesley Cheeks, Jr. did not like a protester’s anti-ObamaCare poster which used one of the viral "Joker" graphics. Officer Cheeks told some town hall protesters to put away their signs or he’ll "charge them with trespassing or whatever he wants." Then, when a protester said to Officer Cheeks, "This used to be America!" his response was: “It ain’t no more, OK?” Pro-Obama Cop to...

Over the past 30 years, I've read so much on how to make money that I know I can write a series of books on the topic, books that would cut through the junk and you don't have to buy 101 things for each area. Most of the information repeats itself -- same author, different title and packaging or different author repeating someone else’s list. All the how-this and how-that was driving me crazy as to what is REALLY required to make $100,000 or more in revenue. A few months ago, I decided to go on a pilgrimage to create...

The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum's collection of human remains from Saipan appears to have touched Japan's cultural, political and religious sensitivities concerning World War II, causing Japanese officials to balk at accepting UC Berkeley's offer to return the skulls and bones. "The remains are not verified as ones of Japanese, so the Japanese government is asking for additional information," Tadayuki Mizutani, a first secretary at Japan's Embassy in Washington, said Friday. But the museum's documentation on the remains is sketchy. Although its card catalogs list some of the Saipan remains as "Japanese who committed suicide during the American invasion," UC...

The fire burning in Angeles National Forest is approaching the historic solar observatory and television transmission towers atop Mt. Wilson, according to Los Angeles County fire officials. The communications towers house transmitters for every major television station in Los Angeles. “We expect it to get there in the next two to four hours,” said county fire Capt. Mark Savage. Crews were clearing brush around the structures, but fire officials were not sure if they could leave personnel on the mountain to fight the flames because of the danger and limited escape routes. The fire is less than two miles away.

Before he addressed a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) openly wished for the Las Vegas Review-Journal to “go out of business” … a newspaper which has held opposing political viewpoints with the Senator. The comment came when Bob Brown, the Journal’s Director of Advertising met with Reid during the simple process of handshaking. Reid exclaimed to Brown: “I hope you go out of business.” Harry Reid Threatened Las Vegas Newspaper

In response to the Left-driven boycott of Whole Foods Markets over CEO John Mackey's Wall Street Journal Op-Ed opposing the ObamaCare bill, the National Tea Party Coalition is scheduling a 'buycott' encouraging the public to shop Whole Foods on Sept. 1. On Aug. 24, I reported here at Digital Journal on the boycotts of FOX conservative pundit Glenn Beck and Whole Foods CEO John Mackey by Obama supporters, driven by organizations like Color For Change and UFCW, the food workers' union. Those boycotts have led to backlashes by supporters of Glenn Beck and John Mackey, which have since resulted in...