Free Republic

OMAHA - A Nebraska company has come up with a way to make pellets that burn like coal from all the leftover parts of a corn plant. Next Step Biofuels' Russ Zeeck says these corn pellets could be a new form of renewable energy. They are made from the corn stalks, leafs and cobs left behind after harvest. Plus, converting the corn plants into pellets makes them easier to ship. Zeeck says coal-fired power plants can burn the corn pellets along with coal. Doing so might help reduce pollution, and the corn pellets would be considered a renewable source of...

Based on the evidence I have seen this month, it looks as though the world moved out of recession in the second quarter. When we see the evidence for this, in the third-quarter data, it is likely that many areas will have returned to close to trend growth. Just as many people responded to my column of August 10 suggesting that I was seeing things through some hazy, rose-tinted lens, I expect that many will respond in the same manner this time. In my last piece, I dubbed this recent crisis “Facebook Crisis”, its true distinguishing characteristic being lots more...

CHAPTER FIVE THE NECESSITY OF KEEPING THE SOUL DISENGAGED AND IN SOLITUDE THAT GOD'S HOLY WILL MAY OPERATE IN IT IF WE ARE TRULY cognizant of the priceless worth of the immortal soul, that sublime temple of God Himself, let us take care that nothing of the world intrude therein. Placing our hope in the Lord, we should wait with a firm confidence for His coming, and realize that He will certainly enter the soul unattached to worldly things and ready to receive Him alone. Alone, having no desire but the presence of God; alone, loving only Him; alone, void...

Palin to speak at conference in first trip to Asia Former Alaska governor set for initial commercial speaking engagement Aug 31, 2009 HONG KONG - Former U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, once questioned about her lack of foreign policy experience, will make her first trip to Asia in September. The former Alaska governor will visit Hong Kong to address the CLSA Investors Forum, a well-known annual conference of global investment managers, the host announced Monday.

Jaycee Dugard, the woman who was abducted at the age of 11 in 1991, was recently discovered living in a virtual prison in the back yard of a couple's come in Antioch, Calif., as has been widely reported. She had been there for 18 years, confined and horrifically abused, even giving birth to her rapist's children. They were kept prisoner and isolated, never having attended school or seen a doctor. Amazingly, a Reno psychic is now claiming the case proves the accuracy of her abilities. Dayle Schear, who was paid by Jaycee's parents to help locate their daughter, says she...

The Dambusters ( Magnificent theme and movie, dealing with the forgotten airmen, the bomber crews) Dr.Zhivago( Lara’s theme is only part of this excellent soundtrack) Dead Man Waking ( Another movie that was painful to watch, but the tracks, especially the main theme, were excellent) Dirty Dancing ( “ Nobody puts baby in a corner” …sorry couldn’t resist:-) The Doors ( Well it is another "best of" version. Donie Darko ( Essential purchase for any kind of music lover) Dragonheart ( It’ll make you cry!) Dead Presidents ( The best of the 70’s + Danny Elfman) Dazed and Confused (...

With all the jet-setting to civilized Eurotopias like Germany and France, the Obamas forgot just how grotesque the average American could be, even in the “nicer” parts. Now they’re left wondering how to beat a hasty retreat from a vacation in the sticks.

Captain America prevailed today in Indianapolis, even though he appears to be Spanish these days. Jorge Lorenzo and his superhero-inspired helmet took top honors at the second Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, also stopping to pick up a red, white and blue toy shield to round out the costume for his victory lap. He then capped it off with a Helio Castroneves-style spiderman climb up the Turn 1 fence- yet another classic race-win celebration from the young Spanish star!

Judgment 912. These seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are to assist us in the sanctification of our souls, and to prepare us for a happy eternity. But will you maintain that your Catholic dogmas concerning the future state in no way violate reason? I am quite prepared to maintain that. 913. No one on earth knows anything about the life beyond. You are very dogmatic. However, I prefer to accept the authority of the God who made me and who must certainly know what is awaiting me. It is your word against the Word of God. I prefer the...

The leftist cable programs have been, for some time now, completely fixated upon the idea of prosecuting members of the administration of former President George Bush--especially former Vice-President Dick Cheney--for their role in the enhanced interrogation techniques (or, “torture,” in the leftist lexicon) of captured Islamist terrorists. From far-left Rachel Maddow to ultra-left Amy Goodman and her Marxist Democracy Now! network, there has been a concerted effort to link Cheney’s name with the “torture” of prisoners’ accused of being al-Qaeda operatives and sympathizers. Goodman’s Democracy Now!, for example, reported last week that a recently released 2004 CIA report on prisoner...

Edward Moore Kennedy, whose memory was endlessly praised in the mainstream media over the weekend, conspired with our Cold War enemy, the Soviet Union, against the interests of the United States Government. The effort was to thwart the national security goals being championed by the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, as historian Paul Kengor reviews today on AT. What is not generally known is that Kennedy collaborated with the Soviets well before Reagan was elected, and had a direct hand in crafting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. As a result of his efforts -- which appear in retrospect to have...

In other words, the value of the dollar remained extremely stable for 150 years, the Fed was created in order to "stabilize the value of the dollar," and the result has been a 95% devaluation of the dollar in less than 100 years following its creation.

MIAMI — Tim James apologized for being late. A rough day at work, said the Miami Heat's 1999 first-round draft pick. Vehicles broke down, problems flared up, and he simply fell behind. "It happens," James said. "Even here." Even on the front line of the Iraq war. A former NBA player who often wondered about his true calling, Tim James is now a U.S. Army soldier, a transformation that even many of the people closest to him never saw coming.

Ann Coulter on probing interrogation tactics and the Bush administration. Coulter also comments on the death of Ted Kennedy and health care reform.

This morning I woke up to the media once again "spouting" about how the government had "made money" on the bank bailouts. MSNBC was spouting the mainstream lie, with the following from the NY Times: Nearly a year after the federal rescue of the nation’s biggest banks, taxpayers have begun seeing profits from the hundreds of billions of dollars in aid that many critics thought might never be seen again. The profits, collected from eight of the biggest banks that have fully repaid their obligations to the government, come to about $4 billion, or the equivalent of about 15 percent...

One argument in favor of universal healthcare is that by guaranteeing basic health services, more costly emergent care can be averted. This theory holds, for example, that it would be cheaper to give everyone colonoscopies, removing their precancerous polyps, than it would be to provide costly surgery or end-of-life care for everyone whose polyps went on to become a cancer. The problem with this argument is that it overestimates your odds of getting colon cancer. Yes, it is cheaper to get a screening than to treat cancer, but the odds were already in your favor against getting any specific cancer...

"The situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort," McChrystal said in a statement announcing the review was ready. McChrystal has been working on the review since Obama put him in charge of the war in June. He sent the classified document to the U.S. military's Central Command (CentCom) responsible for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and to NATO headquarters in Brussels. Military officials say it contains no firm targets for troop strength, but it could form the basis for a decision within weeks on...

Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday that he has doubts that President Obama, “understands and is prepared to do what needs to be done to defend the nation.”Cheney -- speaking forcefully to Fox News’ Chris Wallace -- stopped a brief step short of accusing Obama of intentionally harming the nation. Cheney exudes a restorative candor, like a lifeline to sanity in a world where up is now down, good is now bad, and the majority politicians hardly make believe they’re telling the truth anymore. Cheney gave hard-hitting answers about CIA documentation released last week that showed that enhanced interrogation techniques...

After nearly a six-month lull, Wall Street is getting back into the business of financing new wind farms. Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. have invested $100 million each to finance separate wind farms this month, taking advantage of a brand-new federal program that is paying substantial cash grants to help cover the cost of renewable energy investments. Bankers say this is the beginning of an active pipeline of new wind-farm financing, as well as investment in large solar installations and geothermal facilities. Project developers and Wall Street appear to be viewing the federal cash grant program as such a good...

Except for a pause to honour Senator Edward Kennedy, healthcare reform has dominated US news and comment for weeks. It is seen as the make-or-break challenge for Barack Obama’s administration. Yet soon it may look unimportant in comparison with an issue that the US public has barely seemed to notice: the war in Afghanistan. Casualties there are mounting – this has been the deadliest month for US forces since the fighting began in 2001. The losses have attracted less attention in the US than British losses have in Britain, and pressure on the administration to pull out has been mild....